


A Cipher in the Work of Gods

by Tarlonniel



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Fantasy, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-03-28 23:24:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 43,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13914375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlonniel/pseuds/Tarlonniel
Summary: "Visit the Dyrwood," they said. "What could go wrong?" they said.Everything.





	1. The Promised Land

**Author's Note:**

> Perhaps the self-approving haughty world,  
> That, as she sweeps him with her whistling silks,  
> Scarce deigns to notice him, or if she see,  
> Deems him a cipher in the works of God,  
> Receives advantage from his noiseless hours  
> Of which she little dreams.  
> \- William Cowper, "The Task"

Gilded Vale.

She stared at the tree full of corpses swaying in the wind. "Is that real?" she muttered to herself. "It can't be. No one wou- " But then the breeze picked up and she began to gag. "Oh, gods. Real. Definitely." She clamped a hand over her mouth and made a detour to avoid the flight of steps leading down toward the gnarled, leafless monstrosity, choosing to skirt the edge of the encircling wall instead. Nothing in the half-deserted village gave her any idea of which way to head next. It all looked equally dismal - rock-strewn fields, crumbling houses, dirty streets full of broken cobblestones, and a few ragged villagers who cast an uneasy glance her way, then pointedly ignored her. Near the empty shell of some ruined building on the far side of the tree was a small group of men, better dressed and fed than the rest, who caught sight of her as she walked slowly along. The man in front, with his dull skin and lifeless eyes, looked as dead as everything else.

"You must be one of the new settlers," he croaked, moving towards her. "Welcome to Gilded Vale. I am the magistrate, Urgeat, and you'll be pleased to know that we've had some recent vacancies here."

"Is that so?" She plastered on a pleasant, mostly convincing smile. "How very... fortunate."

"Of course, I'll need to make some inquiries. The inestimable Lord Raedric VII has taken great pains to insulate our town from Waidwen's Legacy." He paused and his eyes flicked rapidly over her. "Normally, the first question is whether you have ever conceived a Hollowborn child, but I see in this case it is unnecessary."

One of her eyebrows twitched, but her tone stayed even and polite. "Don't you think that's a strange question to ask?"

"Lord Raedric has our best interests at heart," Urgeat said. "Now, do you intend to settle here, in Gilded Vale, or are you only passing through? Our lord has offered to provide new, loyal citizens with land in his domains, as you may have heard."

"A generous man. I'm sure he'll also provide the rope if he decides to hang me." The magistrate narrowed his eyes, but her smile didn't waver. "I'd only planned to spend a few days here. Is there an inn?"

"There is." His grey face turned slowly toward the tree. "I should warn you, stranger. Here in Gilded Vale, we have a special place for dissidents, charlatans and those who would hide a curse in our midst."

She coughed. "Yes. Well. You've apparently been very busy clearing out all those, er, disreputable individuals."

"It is unfortunate, but not everyone has accepted the measures necessary to keep the village safe. Ever since Lord Raedric banished the mothers of Hollowborn, some have taken up arms against him, and while he's been searching for a cure, he's been beset with frauds and opportunists."

"Oh, dear. How difficult for the poor man."

"Indeed. We've had ciphers, wizards and animancers come through town, taking the lord's coin and promising to end the curse. Lord Raedric finally decided to make an example of those who would profit from our tragedy." His sunken eyes returned to hers. "His lordship's wife is with child. You may find his decrees strict, but I suggest you follow them. And do not cause trouble."

"I wouldn't even dream of it."

"See that you don't. Farewell." Urgeat and his fellows stalked off, without, of course, giving her directions to the inn. She groaned a little and pushed her aching legs onward, away from the rotten stench and buzzing flies, down what she hoped was the main road. It was lined with even more dreary, lifeless houses, inhabited by even more dreary, lifeless villagers; when, after a few minutes, she heard raised voices ahead, she was almost relieved - at least _someone_ here still realized that they were alive. She soon found the source of the commotion: three loud, angry Dyrwoodans clustered around a slim figure in a hood.

"I meant no offense. Let's put this matter to rest over a round, shall we? My treat," the hooded figure said in a strong Aedyre accent. The elven woman in the group spat at his feet.

"Hoping to soothe our pride with a few Aedyre coppers, eh? We don't need your coin."

"Mocking us even while he shelters in our village. Just goes to show you what those fancy Aedyre manners are worth." The human's eyes were red and bleary from drink, but the finger he leveled at the outsider was steady enough. "We don't take that kind of treatment. Not from foreigners, and 'specially not from Aedyrans."

The second human, who stunk of cheap tobacco and sour ale, moved a step closer. "Go on. Say it again. I'm itching for an excuse."

"Fye, yoo're itchin' fur th' kindlin' tooch ay yer sister, ye coxfither." The town's newest arrival was quite close by now and she blinked in surprise. The words came from the hooded man, but his accent, his tone, and the very sound of his voice had suddenly changed.

"I'll cut that barrel-licking tongue out of your head!" the reeking human roared, putting a hand on his knife, and the Aedyran stepped back quickly.

"This is a misunderstanding," he said, his voice smooth and refined once more. "I didn't say... whatever it is you think I said." But then he took a firmer stance and the second voice growled out, "We've nae quarrel."

The elven woman put a hand on her own blade. "That's where you're wrong."

"Don't tell me you're falling for _that_." The villagers whipped around at the sound of a strange voice, but their retorts died on their lips. They stared while the newcomer continued. "I've seen this from Aedyrans before. They make themselves look harmless, provoke a few kith who were just minding their own business, and then act outraged and start demanding compensation when they're attacked - after they kill the ones they were insulting, of course." She waved a dark hand in the foreigner's direction. "You think that rapier is all he's got? It's not even what he's going for - look." She pointed to the fingers hovering just inside his cloak. "He's reaching for a wand or a throwing dagger; he's been biding his time, waiting until you're angry enough to give him justification. I knew he wouldn't fool you, though. It's an old trick."

"Yeah, we're not falling for _that_ one," said the red-eyed man, backing off a little.

"We're done for now. But this one better watch his step around here because we're not going anywhere," sneered the woman. The group moved off, casting suspicious glances back over their shoulders and the Aedyran lowered his hand with a sigh.

"Thank you. I think."

"My pleasure." She took a closer look at him in the darkness of his hood, picking out the smooth features of an elf. "Just out of curiosity, what _were_ you doing?"

"Doing? Nothing! It was all a matter of misunderstandings and mistranslations." He picked at a bit of fraying embroidery on his glove. "It doesn't help that people in these parts remember their war with Aedyr like it was yesterday."

She gave him a skeptical look, but didn't press the issue. "If you say so. Let me introduce myself - my name is Huani. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Courtesy is a rare pleasure in these parts. Though your accent suggests that you are no more local than I." He bowed slightly. "Aloth Corfiser, at your service."

She laughed. "You _do_ have fine manners - sometimes. Is it Master Corfiser, then, or simply 'Aloth,' or... ?"

"'Aloth' will suffice. I've found that it doesn't do to appear too pretentious in these parts."

"Aloth, then. I don't suppose you'd know where I can find the inn?"

"I do indeed. I'm staying there myself." He turned up the road, beckoning for her to follow him. As they fell into step he gave her a sideways glance. "Forgive the observation, but you don't look well."

"What a coincidence - I don't feel well, either." She smiled ruefully. "This inn - can I get food, a bath and a bed?"

"Approximations of all those things, yes. For instance, until this morning, the only meal available was porridge."

"Porridge?"

"Porridge. For almost a week." He sighed dismally. "Fortunately, the cook - wait." He gave her another sharp look. "Are _you_ the one who found him?"

She was taken aback for a moment. "Found him? Which - I mean, who?"

"The cook. Tenfrith. You match the description he gave, at least."

"Oh! Yes, of course. He'd fallen in with some bandits, and I, well, I have ways with people."

"He said they took one look at you and ran off screaming."

"Yes, that's, that's one of them. The ways I have." She ran a hand along one of her crescent horns uncomfortably. "It helped that it was dark and I was, er, glowing. As one does, you know." She cleared her throat. "So! I'm glad to hear he made it back safely. And that the inn is no longer reduced to porridge, though, after two days without food, even porridge sounds heavenly."

"Two days?" His eyes swept over her equipage, which consisted solely of some worn, dusty traveling clothes and a beaded leather pouch. "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story, and honestly, I'm not sure how much I should tell. After that warm welcome and a good look at this charming place, I'm starting to realize that things are... complicated."

"Fair enough. Here is the inn, up ahead. The Black Hound." He gestured at a large, solid-looking building which, like the rest of Gilded Vale, had seen better days. The inn was nearly empty inside; it was also dark, and dingy, and the few tapestries thrown up for decoration were threatening to collapse onto the stone floor. Aloth did his best to knock the caked dust from his pair of fine leather boots, and the noise brought a young woman bustling out of a back room.

"Hello, and welcome to the- Oh! It's you! Tenfrith told us what you did for him. It's such a relief to have him back! I can't thank you enough - consider yourself a favorite of the house. "

"Thank you. Are you Pasca, then?"

"Yes, and you're Huani, if I remember rightly. Are you after a meal and a room? Tenfrith said he wanted to whip up something nice for you. He's already back to work in the kitchen."

"Yes, please. If there's anything ready to serve, anything at all, I'd be very grateful if you brought it out."

"Of course. Anything for you, sir?"

"Just a glass of wine, please," Aloth said, resignation in his voice.

"Of course. It'll be up in a minute." She bustled off and the travelers seated themselves at a nearby table. When the wine arrived Aloth stared at it in disgust for a long moment before bringing it to his lips.

"Not good?" Huani said.

"Not at all, but it's all there is." He sighed. "I'll be very glad to leave this town."

She cocked her head at him. "What brought you here? Not the cuisine, clearly."

"Clearly." He gave her a wry smile. "I'm a wizard by training and an adventurer by necessity. I was born in the Cythwood, part of the mainland of the Aedyr Empire. Both of my parents served the nobility, which afforded me an education for which I'm grateful. However, there were no open positions in those houses, and so I decided to seek new means in a new land. Instead, the magistrate gave me a story about the local lord's expectant wife. Since then it's been lumpy beds, overcooked meat and no sign of a land grant."

They were interrupted by an enthusiastic dwarf carrying a tray of food. "Ah! It's you! My savior. It's so good to be back!" He set the tray down with a flourish. "This isn't my best work, but stick around a few days and I'll show you what I can do. Nothing's too good for my rescuer, and one of Ondra's chosen to boot!"

"You're very welcome, Tenfrith," Huani said, her eyes fixed greedily on the plates.

"Don't mention it! Enjoy!" He bounced off and she tore into her meal with a vengeance. Aloth watched her, sipping his wine, his face half amused and half thoughtful.

"Have you decided yet how much of your story you're willing to tell?" he asked when the devouring began to show signs of letting up.

"Mmm? Mmm." She chewed contemplatively for half a minute before swallowing. "Let me ask you this. Do you know what a brîshalgwin is?"

"Some sort of Glanfathan warrior, I believe."

"Exactly. As Mab the Magnificent put it, 'A practitioner of a Glanfathan martial tradition focused on the mysterious powers of the mind.'" She flourished her free hand in an overly dramatic fashion, drawing a laugh from her companion.

"Mab the Magnificent?"

"Oh yes. He was a traveling orlan entertainer who washed up in the Living Lands about twenty years ago. I was _fascinated_ by him; I could tell he was something out of the ordinary. It took a week of coaxing and cajoling, and a bit of bribery, but he agreed to teach me what he could in the time left before he moved on. And he did." She took a few more contemplative bites. "He said that the brîshalgwin here had started working with animancers to perfect their art, and I've always wondered what more they learned - what more _I_ could learn. I'm a historian by trade, and some of the things Mab said his people could do were... Well, imagine just picking up an object and knowing where it's been!" She sighed wistfully. "When the opportunity came along to travel here, I couldn't pass it up. And the journey was going well until -" She stopped short and looked down at her plate for a few moments. "The caravan was attacked, north of here, by tribesmen accusing us of trespassing. Oh, and then there was this little thing called a b îaŵac."

Aloth's eyebrows climbed into his hood. "And you survived? I've heard such a thing was impossible. It seems you either have a knack for timing or the favor of the gods."

"Favor. Curse. Maybe the gods don't know the difference." She poked at a bit of potato. "I'm the only one who made it out alive. I was ill, and honestly, I don't remember much of the next day or so. I just knew I had to head south, towards a town called Gilded Vale. _Gilded Vale_." Her voice softened. "It... doesn't live up to its name, does it?"

"No," Aloth said quietly. He sat in silence as she finished her meal.

"I'm going to turn in," she said, rising from the table. "I know it's early, but I'm exhausted. Thank you for keeping me company."

"My pleasure. I may turn in early myself. I'm not eager to indulge in the entertainment planned for tonight."

"Entertainment?"

He smiled grimly. "I hear they're adding to their... collection." He nodded in the vague direction of the tree.

"Gods save us. And that poor soul, whoever they are."

"It seems the gods have abandoned Gilded Vale - the ones the Dyrwoodans haven't killed, that is."


	2. Messenger of Death

Aloth was still sitting over breakfast in the common room next morning when he saw Huani come downstairs. She stopped and talked with Pasca for a few minutes before walking over to his table. "May I join you?"

"Of course." She slid into a seat across from him, rubbing bleary eyes. "If I can be frank, you don't look much better."

"Oh, thanks very much," she said, giving him a mock-offended look. "Believe it or not, I _feel_ better. And cleaner." His eyes traveled up to the top of her head while his mouth opened and closed several times, though nothing came out. "Wondering how I sleep on those things?" she asked with a grin.

"Well, yes."

"It's pretty easy as long as I stay on my back. If I want to sleep on my side, I have to fold the pillow in half and hope for the best. I'm just glad I wasn't 'blessed' by Magran; how you sleep when your head's afire, I have no idea."

He laughed. "Excellent point. You get that question often, I take it."

"I do. And I'm not as sensitive about it all as I used to be, so feel free to ask questions - just don't start petitioning me for favors from Ondra or anything like that."

"Noted. Not the religious type, I take it."

She rubbed one finger slowly against the table. "I - not Ondra. Let's just leave it at that."

"Very well. Any plans for the day?"

"Yes, actually. There's someone I need to find. I don't suppose you know the villagers well?"

"Not very. We're all happier that way."

"I figured as much. Pasca said she'd check around for me, but I couldn't give her much to go on." Tenfrith bounced in with a breakfast tray and a cheerful "Good morning!" for Huani, then out again. She continued as she ate. "One of our guides in the caravan was a young human named Calisca. She was coming to visit Gilded Vale after receiving a frantic letter from her sister here. Unfortunately, I never learned the sister's name. Or anything else about her." Huani picked up a bit of toast and frowned at it. "Since I survived and Calisca... didn't, I'd like to find her sister and at least give her the news. Maybe even do something to help. None of us realized how bad things are here."

"You're right. That isn't much to go on." Aloth tapped his steepled fingers together thoughtfully. "There is one obvious course of action - go to every woman in Gilded Vale and ask if she has a sister named Calisca. Given the current population of the village, it shouldn't take more than a day."

 "I had the same idea. And I should probably get started, before there's no one left here to ask." She stood up but as she moved for the door, Aloth took a few steps after her.

"Do you mind if I join you? With the roads to Defiance Bay closed, I've been at a loss for something to occupy my time."

She grinned at him. "You looked plenty occupied yesterday afternoon. Don't want to play with your friends again?"

"Not if it can possibly be avoided."

"Come on, then. A good wizard is always nice to have on your side."

"You don't know if I _am_ good," he said, catching up to her. "You haven't seen me cast a single spell."

"Right. True. Well, if you turn out to be a terrible wizard, back to the inn you go!"

Avoiding the center of town and its macabre decor as much as possible, they slowly compassed half of Gilded Vale, repeating the same vague description to every local they met. Some were hostile, some frightened, some friendly and helpful, but none had heard the name "Calisca" or knew of anyone expecting a visitor from the north. It was approaching noon when the searchers stopped in a bystreet to rest their aching feet and curse their luck. Aloth was thanking the gods for Aedyr's good fortune in being rid of such a place when Huani sat bolt upright, her milk-white eyes wide and staring. A human in a red cloak had just left a nearby house and was locking the door behind him.

"What is it? Shall we ask him next?" Aloth said, but got no answer. The red-cloaked man turned into the street and began to walk briskly away. In a flash Huani was after him, leaving the bemused wizard to scramble along behind her. The human soon heard someone coming and turned to see who it was. Huani marched straight up to within an arm's length.

"Why did you do it?"

"I - what? Who are you?" He backed away a few steps, startled.

Huani kept staring at him with unnatural intensity, but there was an odd, pleading quality in her voice. "Why did you do it? He trusted you. He didn't understand. Were you afraid you couldn't outrun the bear?"

The stranger's head snapped back as if he'd been hit and his face went white. "How - I - You don't understand! I mean - nothing! You can't prove a thing!" He turned and sped down the street as if death were at his heels. Aloth watched him go, then turned to his companion.

"What... just happened?"

She was breathing heavily; instead of answering she knelt down in the street and clamped her hands over her ears, muttering frantically to herself in a language he didn't understand. He stood there, watching helplessly, as her breathing slowly returned to normal and she lowered her hands, which were still shaking a little. "Huani?" he said timidly.

"I'm so sorry. That was - was - Effigy, that was stupid. Really, _really_ stupid." She sighed, then got slowly to her feet, wiping her hands on her breeches. "Just so you know, I _might_ be going insane. I've never been there before so I can't say for sure." She chuckled weakly. "We can talk about it later, if you'd like. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again. And, uh-  " She gave him an uncertain glance. "Do you want to go back to the inn? I'd understand if you did. I can carry on alone."

"Go back? What for? To drink watered-down fourth-rate wine and speculate on who Raedric's next gardening project will be? I'll pass."

"Right, then. The crazy woman it is," she said, giving him a relieved smile. "Let's try the other side of town, shall we?"

They continued their search for another hour, with a similar lack of success. They were about to return to the inn for a meal when Aloth stopped and pointed at a house whose small porch faced the area they'd been avoiding. Barely visible from their angle was a tow-headed human with his broad back toward them.

"His cloak. Look at it."  
  
Huani took a few steps closer and gasped. The symbol was faded, but not beyond recognition. "The Shining God! He's _asking_ to be hanged! Gods, he can see the tree from where he's standing. Why - come on, let's talk to him."

"What? No!" But Aloth's protest was lost on his companion; she was already moving, and a few moments later she walked up the porch steps, deliberately keeping her back to the twisted tree.

"Excuse me. May I speak with you?"

"Already are." He turned around, taking an old pipe out of his mouth and blinking a few times after getting a good look at her. "Are you the one I've heard talk about? Something about snatching Tenfrith from bandits?"

"I am. My name is Huani, and this," she added as Aloth walked up, "is Aloth Corfiser."

"Nice to meetcha. Name's Edér. Got a last name too, but we don't use 'em much round these parts." He raised an eyebrow at Aloth. "You seem nervous, friend."

The wizard pulled his hood down lower and kept scanning the area. "Well, you are rather... conspicuous."

"Thanks. Nice of you to notice." The human grinned and turned back to Huani. "What can I do you for?"

She gave him the now well-rehearsed description of the woman they were looking for. He nodded slowly as she talked, puffing on his pipe, and when she was done he kept smoking in silence for a time. "I know all the folk left in Gilded Vale and there's only one I reckon it could be. Never talked about her family much and I didn't press her - figured she had a good reason." He knocked out the ashes against the railing. "Name's Aufra. Seen her yet?"

"I don't think so. Can you give us directions?"

"Even better. C'mon." He stepped off the porch and led them back into the side street, much to Aloth's relief. Using a few back ways and back yards, Edér brought them to yet another dilapidated house and gave a few quick raps on the door. It opened almost at once to reveal an anxious young human woman. The hopeful look on her face faded away.

"Oh. Edér. Who- " She stopped and took a step back when she noticed Huani.

"Afternoon, Aufra. These folk are looking for someone who knows a woman named Calisca."

The woman's eyes brightened, then darkened again. "Why? What for?"

"I don't rightly know. You'll have to ask 'em." He stood aside and Huani stepped forward.

"I have... news. I can tell you out here or inside, wherever you feel more comfortable. I know I'm a stranger, and a strange one at that; if you'd prefer not to be alone with me, I understand."

The woman looked between the three of them uncertainly. "I'll stay, Aufra, if you'd like," Edér offered. "You know me."

She relaxed. "Yes. Whatever they say, I know - well, I know. Would you all come in?"

They filed into a small parlor and found seats as best they could on the worn furniture. It was a plain room, but clean, and touched with bits of color in unexpected places. They introduced themselves properly as Aufra stood by the fire and fidgeted, glancing at Huani. "I've never seen one of the godlike before. I'm sorry if I was rude."  
  
"No, not at all. You were just surprised. And disappointed." Huani bit her lip. "I'm afraid my news isn't good. If you sit down, it might be easier for you."

Aufra let out a low breath and wavered indecisively, then sat. "Is she dead?"

"She is. I'm sorry."

There was silence for a long minute. "What happened?" Aufra said at last, starting to cry a little. Huani folded her hands and began the tale in a low, steady voice.


	3. Forbidden Paths

The sun was high and bright, but a line of clouds near the horizon was planning to challenge her supremacy. Huani alternated between walking and riding in the fourth wagon - walking hurt, but the rolling motion made her feel even sicker than she already was. One of the guides, Calisca, came by to check on her and dispense sage advice a few times an hour. "Odema still thinks it's Rumbling Rot," she said as she walked up for the fifth time, peeking at the sufferer over the wagon's edge. "Heodan thinks it's food poisoning from the last inn. Xochi says it's plague and we'll all be dead by morning. Lyssa wouldn't place a bet, but if you die, she wants to dissect you."

"Tell Lyssa she'd better not, or I'll come back and haunt her."

"I don't think she'd mind. She'd probably stick your ghost in a jar too." Calisca hopped up on the running board and took out her pipe. "Sparfel says there's bad weather coming, and I agree with him, but there isn't much cover in these parts."

Huani opened her eyes to look blearily up at the sky, then closed them again. "Do you think we'll lose a day?"

"Maybe. That's not a bad thing, though. If just being near the Dyrwood disagrees with you this much, best to take some time to get used to it. And it to you."

"Sounds like a _very_ friendly place."

"Friendly enough. If you'd been invaded by an empire, invaded again by some lunatic claiming to be a god, and then found out some of your babies were missing their souls, well, you might be a little rough around the edges too. Just stay out of trouble and you'll be fine."

"And how do I do that?"

"Simple. Don't rile up the tribes, don't mention Eothas, and try not to act too... well... foreign. You sound more Ixamitl than anything, which is a help."

"I'll thank my parents when I see home again." Huani yawned, then kicked off her blankets. "After coming all this way, I'm not going to miss entering the Dyrwood because I fell asleep, plague or no plague. I'll try to walk a while."

Plains turned into low hills as the five wagons rolled on. The lead team left the main road, following a smaller cart track, just as the fog came down around them and brought an early nightfall. The path ahead was obscured in gloom and the wagon master soon called for a halt. Huani, shivering near her wagon, called out to him as he went by. "Odema? What's happened?"

"The guides are jumpy, our teams can barely keep the road and you look sick as a dog. We're gonna camp here for the night." He passed one hand over his mustache and glanced up at the hill above them. On its heights a large, dark shape showed in patches through the mist. "Stay near the wagons," he said, and walked on.

A fire was soon blazing against the darkness and the chill, but Huani still roamed the twilit edges of the camp, restless, staring at the blue-green veins of adra growing around them and the black shadows on the hills. "I wouldn't," Calisca said from behind her. "The Glanfathans have put arrows in folk just for looking sideways at their ruins."

"I know. I wasn't planning to run off. I was just thinking of the Builders - how little we know of them."

"And that's how the tribes want to keep it. No one gets near their precious Engwithan rubble." She rolled her eyes. "Why don't you rest? You need it."

"I can't. I tried."

"All right, then, come with me and help fill the waterskins for tomorrow. Sparfel's off hunting. I want someone to watch my back."

"For what?"

"You never can tell in the Dyrwood. C'mon."

The stream was across the road and down the hill a short distance, running through a shallow gully it had carved for itself. Calisca stuck her torch in the ground and the travelers slowly filled each waterskin before setting it aside, talking about the plans for tomorrow. Gilded Vale was their destination and Calisca figured they could reach it by the next nightfall. After that, for most travelers, it was on to Defiance Bay, if the roads were good. "Which they're usually not, this time of year," Calisca added, throwing the last skin on the pile. "The Aedyrans never worked out how to stop the flooding and the locals don't- " she stopped, listening. It had gotten very quiet. Huani felt the hairs on her neck stand up.

There was a muffled cry from the woods off to their left, but they couldn't tell if it was kith, wilder or beast. Calisca snuffed the torch and put a hand on her axe. "I don't suppose you could, uh, dim that head of yours?" she whispered.

"No. Sorry."

"Damn. Well, least you're not Magran's."

Silence again. They stood there in the dim moonlight, waiting. The unnatural stillness dragged on; they could hear faint laughter and conversation from the fire up the hill, tempting them to make a run for it.

When the screams started, it was almost a relief.

The main camp burst into an uproar; Calisca was turning to lead the way back up the slope when a dark form rushed out of the trees behind her. Huani shouted a warning and the guide turned like a cat, dodging a heavy blow aimed at her head before whipping her arm around to bury her axe in the figure's chest. She wrenched it out again, leaving the intruder to twitch on the grass, and they ran toward the campfire.

The Aedyran, Heodan, was still on his feet, surrounded by the twisted, bloody bodies of his companions, which two men dressed in animal skins were gleefully trampling into the ground. A third towered menacingly over the young merchant, ready to strike, but when he noticed more survivors on the way he jerked the Aedyran around and set a wet blade to his neck. "Lay down your arms, trespassers," he said. "Do not forfeit this man's life for a fight you will lose."

The women skidded to a stop. "We have not trespassed!" Calisca said. "We only wanted to pass through!"

"Your words carry no weight when I have seen the truth with my own eyes. Blood must be paid for this intrusion."

"Don't trust them," said Heodan, "they mean to kill us all!" The spokesman snarled and pricked him with the blade.

"No!" Huani said, holding up a hand. "We'll surrender our weapons!" But she added to Calisca, in an undertone, "He's going to drop his arm. Be ready." She raised her voice again. "Da yw genev metya genes!"

The tribesmen glanced at each other, surprised and uncertain. "Pyth yw dha hanow?" she added, pointing at the leader. He screamed, dropped his knife and began clawing at the air; a moment later Calisca had jumped forward and was dragging Heodan away.

The next few minutes were chaos. Calisca grabbed another torch and fought with axe and flame; Heodan pulled daggers from his belt and stabbed when he could, scrambled when he couldn't; Huani's white, unearthly gaze sent the enemy fleeing in terror whenever they met her eyes. At last their enemies lay sprawled on the ground and they stood there, panting, staring at each other.

One of the murderers still lived, barely, his breath coming in gasps, his darkening eyes staring at the sky. "Forgive us," he whispered, and a wind began to stir the branches of the trees. "Good. Good. The gods are just." He smiled. "I am ready."  
  
The wind swelled, beginning to toss things around the camp, but it felt _wrong_. It was jagged, electric, cutting through cloth and flesh and bone as if they were nothing. "Get inside!" It was Odema's voice; they turned to see him, broken as he was, struggling to draw a few last breaths. " _Run!_ "

They ran. It was a mad dash up the hill, the wind rising, threatening to rip them to pieces from the inside out, but they made it. They stumbled through an archway which loomed out of the night and the wind knocked it vengefully to the ground behind them, trapping them inside.

Calisca held her torch high, staring at the pile of rubble, then took a long, slow breath and looked around. The others just tried to stay upright and stop shaking. "We can't stay here," she muttered. "There could be another collapse. We're not getting out that way, anyway. Let's get further inside."

The torch cast unsteady shadows on the walls around them. They moved carefully across the cracked stone floor, avoiding large holes which led down into darkness, passing broken archways which might once have been doors. Adra was growing into the stone walls, adding living columns to the ones carved from rock. Nothing stirred. Huani and Heodan were still struggling to breathe and soon began coughing at all the dust in the air. When Calisca finally called a halt, they slid to the floor gratefully, but the guide stayed on her feet and searched the darkness at the edge of the torchlight.

Huani wrapped her arms around herself. "What... happened?"

"A bîaŵac **.** Kind of windstorm they only get in Eir Glanfath." Calisca shrugged. "Not too many people live through them, so it's hard to know what's true."

"And the ones who attacked us?"

"Fangs of Galawain, I expect. Real twitchy. They go ruin to ruin, looking for fights with colonists." She frowned and ran a hand through her hair. "Thing is, Glanfathans don't attack without being provoked. Either they saw something and got the wrong idea, or we're not alone."

"Wonderful." Heodan sighed, then tilted his head at the sick woman. "What did you say to them, by the way?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I only learned a few phrases, and that was years ago - my pronunciation was probably atrocious."

"Oh. But why..." He paused, then shrugged. "Well, it seemed to work." He took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. "What now?"

"We look for another way out. Storm has to die sometime."

Huani stood up slowly. "And when we get there? How will we find the road?"

"Leave the ruins and head south. We'll hit it eventually."

They pushed on. Soon, the ruin began to change around them. Some of the arched doorways were intact, and sconces near them held crystal candles which glowed in soft, delicate colors. Small stone tiles swept in delicate patterns along the floor of the passageway. They found a wall which was brightened by a mural, its colors still bright and vivid, showing a procession of five figures - aumaua, elf, dwarf, orlan and human. Huani began stopping to examine broken reliefs and faded sets of runes, while Heodan seemed fascinated by any crumbling bit of statuary; Calisca, though, was always eager to press forward, never letting them pause for long.

After what felt like hours, they finally noticed a breeze. They followed it to a round room with tree roots snaking through a dark opening in one wall. The air was fresh. Calisca handed off the torch and crept forward to have a look outside, then crept back, beckoning the others into an adjacent chamber. "It's not day yet and it's still fogged in out there. I don't know where we are. On the far side of the hill, I expect. Nothing to do but make a barricade and try to sleep."  
  
The piled what moveable rubbish they could find in the lone doorway and settled in on the cold stone floor, but none of them could relax. Eventually, Calisca got up and started pacing the room while Heodan and Huani huddled in a corner, talking quietly.

"I think they saved me for last because of my accent. I never thought I'd be grateful for someone's hatred of Aedyr." He brushed the dust from his clothes as best he could. "They all said I was mad, coming here. It seems they were right."

"Look on the bright side. You'll have quite a story to tell your brothers."

"They won't believe it. Not the part about getting into trouble, I always managed that much, but getting out of it without their help." He laughed. "I wanted to prove something, and perhaps I will. But no more traveling after this. I'm not made for it."

"You're going to stay in Defiance Bay? Won't you miss your family?"

"I will, I'm sure, but I hope they'll come to visit."

She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall. "I'd very much like to visit Aedyr. It has the deep, rich history of Vailia, but without the centuries of slow decay - it would be fascinating. And I admit, the accent is very attractive."

He chuckled. "So I've heard. And yet you didn't go to Aedyr."

"No. I might like to live there someday; its refinement and discipline are appealing. But the Dyrwood just... called to me. Revolutions, animancy, the possible death of a god - how could it not? Now, though..." She looked up as Calisca stalked by. "I don't know how you stay so calm."

 The woman shrugged. "I've seen worse. Seen worse and kept on walking, 'cause there's nothing else to be done, and 'cause there's other people you care about who still need you."

"Like your sister?"

"Yeah. I'd do anything for her, she's- well she's a much better woman than me. Now you two quiet down and try to rest a bit. We've got a long day ahead of us."

Dawn came. None of them had slept much, but they were all eager to get out of the ruins so no one asked for even five more minutes. They cleared the doorway, moved to the exit they'd discovered and, after Calisca took a brief look outside, stepped into the early light. They were so close...


	4. To See Beyond

"We were _so close_. If we'd just slept a little longer, or started a little earlier- " Huani's hands were shaking and she balled them into fists. "After we left the ruin, there was another bîaŵac. We had no warning, no time to run, no time to think. I'm the only one who woke up afterwards."

There was a long silence while Aufra sobbed in her chair. When the young woman calmed a bit and began to dry her eyes, Huani took the beaded pouch from her belt. "Here," she said, walking over and placing it in Aufra's hands. "And here." From a pocket she withdrew a little bag which clinked as she laid it on the table. "They were your sister's. I'm sure she would've wanted me to bring them to you. I... I'm so sorry. I wish she were here, instead of me." Her voice wavered and she turned and walked out the door. Aloth said an awkward goodbye before following her.

They made their way back to the Black Hound in silence and ate a long-delayed midday meal. Only when the plates were cleaned and cleared did Aloth finally speak up. "About that... episode... in the street."

"Ah. Right. That." Huani sighed and glanced around the room as if looking for an escape.

"If you'd prefer not to discuss it-"

"No, no, it's all right. But after all we've heard about Raedric and his, er, prejudices, I'd like to get out of Gilded Vale for a few hours. Breathe some clean air  - if you know what I mean."

"I believe so. There's a trail which leads south, towards the sea; would that do?"

"Lead the way."

It was late afternoon now, but the sun was still high and warm enough to take the edge off a cool spring breeze. They made small talk as they went; Aloth was happy to talk about Aedyr and Huani had an endless store of questions on its culture, history and peoples. As they climbed a rise he paused and looked back at Gilded Vale, a gray patch in the green of the hills.

"It's hard to believe I've only been gone a year. One year means very little in Aedyr - we have thousands of years of history and tradition, after all - but here it's almost an eternity."

"It must've been hard to adjust, especially since you don't strike me as the frontier type."

"Hardly. Aedyrans value dignity and responsibility, while Dyrwoodans are informal, hot-blooded. I've done my best to avoid provocation and keep my thoughts to myself, but I've been less and less successful. As you saw." He gave her a sidelong glance. "I wonder - did you help me because I reminded you of that merchant, Heodan?"

She laughed. "You did, I admit. It was a strange coincidence - another Aedyran man surrounded by a group of large, hostile locals. But I like to think I would've helped in any case."

He nodded and they continued walking up the road as it followed the edge of a low ridge. "I am grateful for your assistance, whatever your reasons. And I'm sorry for your loss - you clearly cared about the people you traveled with."

"I did. After two months on the road together you become a little family, especially if everyone's far from home and the ones they love. We talked about where we came from, the long goodbyes we said when we set out for this strange, far away land, and all the things we'd do when we arrived at last. They all had someone they hoped to see again. Aufra may be the only one of those who ever learns the truth; the rest will go their whole lives wondering why their son, or daughter, or brother or sister just... disappeared." She wiped a few stray tears away quickly. "But that's not why we came out here, is it? Are we beyond the range of Raedric's spying ears?"

They took a careful look around and then turned off the footpath. There was a grove of young trees nearby where they could sit, half in sun, half in shadow, and see down the road a good distance in both directions, so that was where they settled. Huani took a deep breath. "Back home I read a book of Aedyran ghost stories; it was all about restless spirits walking the lands, unable to move on. Have you heard tales like that?"

"A few. They were quite popular a hundred years ago or so, from what I gather."

"I can see why. I don't think they're as much fun from the other side, though." She leaned back against a tree trunk, looking up at the shifting pattern of the leaves. "After - after the bîaŵac, the first thing I remember is crawling over to Calisca and trying to wake her up, but she... didn't. Heodan too. I tried to think, but the world was spinning and my eyes were playing tricks on me. I saw death everywhere. Bodies being torn on the rack. Kith writhing and burning at the stake. I heard them screaming, begging in languages I didn't understand.

"I thought I'd hit my head. Then I thought I was delirious. Then I decided I was dead and all these images were my fellow dead-folks giving me the worst welcoming party of all time. Finally I remembered Gilded Vale, and the road, and Calisca's sister, so I picked up what I could and headed south. When night came, and when I actually managed to sleep, all my dreams were... strange. Full of distant stars and empty lands. The horrible visions stopped on the second day, but I still kept hearing whispers and catching movement out of the corner of my eye. That faded too - or maybe I'm just getting used to it - but sometimes it all floods back and, well, I end up like I did in the street back there.

"It wasn't until I ran into Tenfrith and the bandits that I realized I probably wasn't dead, which, honestly, wasn't as much of a relief as you'd think. He was eager to get back to Gilded Vale once I scared the bandits off, but I knew I couldn't keep up with him. I told him to go on ahead and tried to get some sleep in an abandoned campsite not too far away.

"That night, I had a different dream. There was this... thing. It drifted, like a patch of mist, but it was rippling and glowing like a torch reflected in a stream. It came right for me and then I - saw? dreamed? remembered? - something else. A friend, a man in a red cloak. We were running. Something was roaring behind us, but we were almost out, almost free, and then I felt a sharp pain in the back of my knee. I fell. The man in the red cloak passed me, glanced back and was gone, but I saw the sun glinting on a dagger in his hand. Then whatever was behind us was on me." She put her head in her hands and rubbed her temples. "That man we met in the street - he was the one with the dagger. Was it _not_ a dream, then? What else could it be? I don't understand. And last night there was someone else, a Vailian hanging from that blasted tree. She was dead, but somehow she kept looking at me with her empty eyes and screaming something I couldn't hear."

"Wait. Vailian? A dwarf?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Raedric's latest victim was a Vailian dwarf. An animancer from the Republics."

They stared at each other, eyes wide. "I think I need to go back to town," Huani said.

It was evening when they found themselves standing near the temple ruins. The bodies were swaying in a light breeze and Huani looked ill. "I'm insane. I'm insane. I'm gong to talk to a dead woman on a dead tree in a dead town... Ugh." She stamped one foot against the ground. "Just get it over with, Teoxihuitl," she said, and marched off toward the center of the plaza.

Aloth watched as she skirted the inside edge of the low wall until she was nearly below the body of the dwarf. For a good fifteen minutes she just stood there, staring upwards. When she moved at last she almost fell over; she caught herself, turned, started running, tripped over the wall, got up, took off again, and nearly went head-first into a post. She put out a hand to stop herself just in time.

Someone burst out laughing.

Edér had evidently been watching the whole thing because he came strolling up, pipe in hand, to where Huani was still staring at the post in a daze. "That was the best show I've seen in these parts for years. You all right?"

She mumbled something unintelligible, still staring at the post. Aloth came up with an anxious look on his face. "She's... not well. I should take her back to the inn."

"No need. My place is right here." He gripped the mumbling woman gently by the elbow and steered her along with him. "Don't worry, it's clean," he called back over his shoulder at the wizard, who followed reluctantly.

It was little more than a hut with a thatched roof and a hard dirt floor, but it _was_ clean, and almost empty. Edér guided Huani toward one of the rough wooden chairs, but before they reached it she jumped and returned to reality. "What?" She looked around. "Where are we?"

"Home sweet home. Here." Edér scooted the chair over to her, then leaned back against the nearest wall and resumed smoking. "How you feeling?"

"Ahquihuan itta," she said, taking the chair. They stared at her. "There's an Aedyran word. I can't remember what it is. I've only read it in books. Seer? No, that's the future. What language was she speaking?" The two men glanced at each other.

"Uh, who? The dwarf?"

"Yes. Caldara de Berranzi, of the Vailian Royal Academy of Animantic Sciences, no less! She told me about her work - it sounded fascinating. I rather liked her. I wonder where she is now."

"She's hanging from the tree outside. Dead." Eder scratched his chin in evident confusion, but Aloth's face lit up and he took a step forward.

"Watcher. Is that it?"

"Yes! Watcher!" Huani clapped her hands. "She said it must have been the bîaŵac, that I have a - a heavy? - no, a _strong_ soul. I was lifted out, but I came back. I've seen past the Shroud and lived to remember it." She let out a long, slow breath and collapsed back in the chair.

"Fascinating. So you're not losing your mind?"

"Ah, well, she didn't say _that_. But at least it all makes sense now - I think. A Watcher! I've only read about them."

Edér tapped his pipe stem against his cheek thoughtfully. "We used to have a Watcher in these parts. Old Maerwald, over at Caed Nua. People would seek him out for all kinds of things - troubles of the soul, questions for the departed. Least until he died or moved on, that is. No one's seen him in years."

"How interesting," Aloth said, not a bit interested. "Now where do we go from here? Need I say that you cannot remain in Gilded Vale? If Raedric learns of your... skills, you will likely either be labelled a dangerous element, and therefore hung, or hailed as a possible savior of his unborn child - and all possible saviors thus far have ended by hanging next to the dangerous elements. You should head for Defiance Bay."

"But the roads are closed. And I've lost almost everything I had. And - and I wanted to -" She looked toward Eder. "Aufra is pregnant. Did you know that?"

He nodded slowly. "She told me after you left. How'd you know? Calisca?"

"No, Calisca never mentioned it. I could... see the baby. Sort of. What will happen to her?"

"If it's healthy, not a thing. But there's not been a healthy child born here in, oh, seven years."

"There's nothing we can do? Nothing she needs?"

He drew on his pipe and blew out a soft plume of smoke, watching as it dissolved into the twilight. "Two things, maybe. I already talked to some folks about going up to find that caravan of yours. Bury the bodies. See what they can bring back. By rights, Aufra's due some part of what they find; maybe you'll get back a few things too. 'Sides that, there's this healer and midwife, Ranga, used to live here in town. She moved to the Compass a few seasons back when Raedric's men started nosing around. She made a special kind of drink that used to be real popular, even after the Legacy started. Might make Aufra feel a little more cheerful. And," he added, noticing a skeptical look on Aloth's face, "her camp is just by Madhmr Bridge, which is more or less the only way you got to reach Defiance Bay. If the floods have passed and it's opened up again, she'll know. Sound good?"

"Yes. Definitely." Huani bounded out of her chair. "Where is the Compass? How soon can I get there on foot?"

"It takes about a day. Ranga's a good sort, she'll let us pitch our tents with hers."

Aloth narrowed his eyes. "Are you coming? I thought you were going to help retrieve the goods from the caravan."

"Nah. Wouldn't make it back, most like. It would save 'em the trouble of hanging me. Not that they'd mean anything personal by it, you understand."

"Hang you?" Huani said. "What for?"

Edér half-turned and gestured to the symbol on his back. "Blame it on me being stubborn, I guess. I fought him in the Saint's War - if he really _was_ Waidwen, that is - but I haven't quite given up on him." He turned to face them again. "We'll need some supplies. I'll see what I can round up. You might want to ask the innkeep if you can buy some food for the road. Oh, and Ranga might ask for coin. You got any?"

"Some. I hope it's enough."

"We'll work something out. Go get some sleep; we should start early."


	5. Against the Tide

Edér almost regretted his decision.

The few moments of peace he got during the day-long journey to Anslög's Compass had to be snatched from the jaws of a rabid historian, at peril of his life. Each question he answered led to two more; he threw every detail he could remember about Waidwen, Readceras, the Saint's War, the Purges, or the Legacy at his new companion, but she was never satisfied, her eyes blazing with an unquenchable hunger for knowledge which threatened to consume him.

At least, that's how he told it later.

He managed to win a reprieve by bringing up the records in Defiance Bay. Huani's eyes grew wide. "What kind of records? Where?"

"They got an archive at the palace. What's in it, I don't really know."

"Hmm. Probably enlistment rolls, casualty reports, dispatches -"

"Interested?"

"Absolutely! I wonder if anyone's gone through it all? Who knows what you could find!" She went on to list all the possibilities and as he listened, a light slowly came into Edér's eyes.

"Hey. If you ever get a chance to see 'em, could you do something for me?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Could you look up my brother? Been some ugly rumors about him. I know he fought for Dyrwood. He joined up just before I did. But there have been folks saying he switched sides. I'd sure like to prove 'em wrong." He paused as a shadow crossed his face. "And maybe you could... find out where he died. I never did know."

"I'll try. I promise. What was his name?"

"Woden. Woden Teylecg."

She repeated the name a few times, fixing it in her memory. "It's all so fantastic. Invaders led by a man claiming to be a god. And by all accounts, he _was_."

"I don't think so."

She looked at Edér in shock. "You don't? Why?"

"I always thought Eothas understood people better than the other gods. Knew all our flaws and weaknesses and accepted us for that. But Waidwen?" Edér shook his head. "Didn't have an issue with him at first. Not when he started his rebellion and not even when he took over Readceras. Up to that point he was sticking up for his people. That's what Eothas does, least the Gaun part of him. Those farmers were starving and their government didn't lift a finger. I figured if it wasn't Eothas himself, at least he had the right idea."

He narrowed his eyes at the horizon. "But then he sent armies across the border. Even crossed it himself in the end. Word was, he was chasing refugees that escaped the rebellion. Wanted to punish them, and punish us for allowing them to live here. That- that just didn't fit for me. Those are the deeds of a vengeful god. Skaen, or- or Woedica maybe. Or just a man who'd lost his sense."

"Nothing about that whole scenario was _sensible_ ," Aloth said, "neither the invasion nor the Purges after it, and the Legacy has only made things worse."

"Folks are at their worst when they're afraid. Used to be a god like Eothas made you realize there was nothing to fear. Made you a better person, y'know?"

Huani ducked her head sheepishly. "I do know. I spent many hours in Gaun's temple when I was growing up." Edér raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But then our god stopped talking to us. I decided the relationship must be over and I should move on - no one likes a clingy ex-worshipper, after all. Then stories reached us about what happened down here and I couldn't help being... curious."

"That why you came? Curiosity?"

"Of course it is! That's why I do anything. Dangle a shiny bit of knowledge in front of me and I'm liable to follow you halfway around the world - brîshalgwin, gods, a new recipe for turnip stew, you name it. Folks warned me about asking too many questions in the Dyrwood, but that's like telling me not to breathe."

"I noticed."

She laughed. "Thanks for putting up with me, brother Edér." She clapped him on the shoulder and he grinned, reaching over to give her a rough side hug.

"You're not so bad, sister. I was on my way out anyway; just hadn't figured where I was going yet. This town's had it in for me for a long time now. Only fella who ever stuck up for me, well... he's number eighteen on the tree. Used to be my captain during the war. Worked my farm as headman since."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Why did they hang him?"

"Got involved. Raedric sent men into town the other day, said they had it on good authority someone in town was working with Kolsc, plotting Raedric's overthrow. Said if he didn't come forward right then and there, they'd hang every last one of us.  No one was coming forward. So Swithin - that's my headman - he steps up and says it's him. They took him at his word." He sighed and rubbed his neck with one meaty hand. "Bound to happen sooner or later, if not for plotting against Raedric then for protecting me."

"Who is Kolsc?"

"Someone who got tired of all the hangings. He's on the run now. Probably will be till they catch him."

"You can see why I was eager to leave," Aloth murmured.

"So. You asked me all those questions. Figure it's my turn now." He looked the godlike over curiously. "Are you... human?"

He got a long, strange look in reply before she realized what he meant. "Oh! No, I'm an elf. Mostly. Sort of? The godlike thing can be confusing. But I've got a great joke: Want to know how much I look down on my parents?"

Her companions glanced at each other and Edér took the bait. "How much?"

"About five inches!" They groaned while she took a bow.

"It's a good thing you have other talents," Aloth said, shaking his head.

"Oh, yes. I'm an excellent night light _and_ a hat rack."

More groans. Edér flicked one of her horns with his thick fingers. "Terrible. So what you're saying is you really left home 'cause they got tired of your jokes."

"That was a _complete_ coincidence."

Aloth and Huani went on to tell their own stories in full, as well as the events of the last few days. The story of the red-cloaked man made Edér's eyes grow rounder and rounder. When it was over he gave a short bark of laughter. "So that's where Perly went. Folks were starting to wonder. Not that he'll be missed much; he beat his wife something awful. The man in red sounds like Nonton. Family friend. Maybe not so friendly after all... or more to the wife than the husband."

Noon had come and gone. The sun was halfway through its slow descent toward the horizon when, as the path turned more directly south, a salt breeze drifted by. Huani turned to the others with an eager look. "Do you smell it? The sea! I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"Forgot you came from an island. We're not far now."

They passed through a low cleft between two hills and came out upon sand. The Pearlwood Gulf stretched out before them, its waters turned blue and gold by the setting sun, while off to their left, beyond a shoulder of the hills pushing out into the sea, they could see a grey shadow which was the city of Defiance Bay. They kept to the grassy margin of the beach and followed it in a long sweep toward the water, passing tide pools full of drifting plants and darting creatures, until they saw a low hut and a tent set on a rocky outcropping ahead. An aumaua woman with warm gold-brown skin and reddish hair caught up in tight braids stood by a fire which a xaurip was feeding bits of driftwood. She came to greet them with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Edér! I haven't seen you since I moved down here. How have you been?"

"Evening, Ranga. I've been better, but I've been worse, too. You?"

"Same as always. It's far more comfortable here by the shore, where I can hear the water. Raedric finally gave up on his threats and I still get visitors from time to time. Have you come for medicines or craftworks, or to share the fire? And who did you bring with you?"

They made introductions all around. Ranga explained that her assistant's name was Tana, and, though he couldn't speak their language, he did his best to chirrup a welcome. They settled in around the fire and explained their errand, Aloth making it a point to inquire about the road to Defiance Bay.

"The road?" Ranga said. "It's fine, just fine. But the bridge is gone."

" _Gone?_ " they all repeated.

"Gone. Washed away in the floods. This happens every twenty years or so; they can't seem to hold on to a bridge in these parts."

Aloth groaned and put his head in his hands. Huani placed a gentle arm across his shoulders, then turned back to the aumaua. "What about Aufra? Can you help her? I have some coin if you need it."

"Keep your coin." The healer sighed and gave her cauldron a troubled look. "I'm an herbalist, not Hylea. Expectant women have been coming to me since the start of the Legacy - fifteen long years. Sometimes they bear a healthy child after taking my remedies, but mostly they don't. They still hold on to hope, though." She got up and began picking through the supplies in her tent. "I can give you a drink to take before bed. It will help her feel more energetic in the mornings. Also, tell her to eat more fish. And cheese. The potion will sustain a healthy appetite and grant her strength. She's a rather frail woman, from what I remember of her."

They spent a long evening trading stories around the campfire while Ranga brewed her mixture, Tana joining in as best he could. Next day, as they started the long walk back to Gilded Vale, there was only one topic of conversation - what to do next.

"What it comes down to is, we've got two choices." Edér pointed north. "There's a ford up there. Way, _way_ up, beyond Raedric's keep. It'd be a tough crossing to make with the river running high, but we could do it. Otherwise there's Caed Nua. Only trouble is, all the folks I know who've tried to get through there came right back again. They say it's haunted. And lately I hear the road's been closed for good."

Huani shrugged. "I suppose there's nothing to do but give it a try. If Maerwald is still alive, I'd welcome the chance to speak with another Watcher. If he isn't, I suppose I could still have a talk with him, and any other spirits which might be lingering there."


	6. A Life in Ruins

They reached Gilded Vale by evening and gave the drink to Aufra, along with Ranga's advice and good wishes. The recovered wagons from the caravan had already rolled into town so Huani was able to claim her lost belongings - clothes, some books, and a few little trinkets from home, all priceless. Early next morning, they started for Caed Nua.

The roads weren't paved, but a lack of traffic meant they hadn't been turned into mud pits, and the weather held to a steady mix of light rain and warm sun. Edér kept his old sword handy due to rumors of bandits in the area, though he never needed to use it. They camped near the road on the first night. Huani didn't sleep well. In the morning they had to shake her awake out of a nightmare she refused to describe.

The second day brought them to the edge of a fast-running river. On its far side were the walls of a fortress, high and strong, running back until they met the sheer face of a hillside which served as a natural barrier. The river was high but they found a broad stone bridge curving over it. The road on the further side led to a huge gate in the ivy-covered walls.

Huani bent to examine the stonework of the bridge as they passed across. "This is new, and the style is modern - someone rebuilt this."

"Old Maerwald did a lot of work on the place. Not surprised it's lasted."

They walked up and stood peering through the open gateway. At first they thought the place was deserted, but they soon heard a very unexpected sound - cheerful, tuneful humming in a pleasant baritone. Following the voice, they found a tall, thick-set aumaua intently examining the outer walls to their left. He was scribbling on a scrap of parchment with a bit of charcoal , his colorful cap perched precariously on his head and a sword swinging casually at his side.

"Friendliest-looking spirit I've ever seen," Edér said. The man looked up in surprise and gave them a wide, toothy grin, waving the parchment in greeting.

"Good afternoon! I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm no spirit; not yet, at least. I was looking at the names scratched upon some of the bricks, just there. Workers and masons, I expect. Carving a little immortality for themselves."

"Names? Are they recent?" Huani walked over to take a closer look. "There's not much weathering. I assume they date from the latest renovations. Are you studying the castle? Do you know how old it is?"

"Two centuries, according to my research, but abandoned for half that time. And I'm not studying the keep so much as the ruins in the hill behind it - a great statue, said to have been carved by the Engwithans themselves out of living adra! The truly interesting part is in there," he pointed to the gate, "though I haven't had much luck in reaching the keep itself. I did make an attempt, of course... but I was chased away by spirits."

"Spirits?" Edér grinned. "Lucky you. We've got just the woman for dealing with spirits."

The aumaua looked at them all with increasing interest. "Is that so? Perhaps introductions are in order. I am Kana Rua of Tâkowa, in Rauatai."

In a few words they told him their own names and the reason for their journey. "Ah, Defiance Bay," he said. "I was hoping to visit it myself. I imagine I could spend months in the Hall of Revealed Mysteries alone. There's not much more for me here, as things stand, although -" he looked at them hopefully "- perhaps we'll all have better luck if we try getting through together. May I join you?"

"Be our guest," Huani said, "though I should warn you in advance, our luck has been none too good lately."

"All the more reason to expect a change!" He grinned and hoisted his pack across his shoulders. "Let us be off."

They passed into the interior, leaving matted tracks behind as they tramped through the high grass which had grown to cover the road. They passed by small cottages and larger villas, all showing obvious signs of decay, and up ahead they could see the keep itself getting closer, its walls covered in climbing vines.

The air began to feel strangely dense, though the day remained as clear as ever. Then they began to see _things_ forming around them. To the others they looked like vague, shadowy figures, their voices little more than ripples in the thick air, but Huani could see and hear them clearly. She described both men and women, Glanfathans and Aedyrans - an old tribesman crying out for mercy as his village burned around him, a mother doing simple household tasks with her son, soldiers discussing orders they'd received, raiders planning a nighttime attack. She tried to talk with them, to no avail; they simply wavered and faded away. "I don't think they can even hear me," she said. "And they all think I'm someone else - someone who's important to each one of them in a different way."

"They were more aggressive when I came in here alone. At the very least, your presence seems to calm them." Kana pointed off to their right. "If I remember the plans correctly, the eastern gate is over there."

They headed in that direction, but as they approached they saw that the archway had collapsed and the gate was now completely choked with rubble; they held a whispered conference, then, at Huani's urging, turned back and headed toward the keep again. The air pressed down around them more heavily than ever as they approached, but nothing moved to stop them.

The hall had been a fine one once. Vases and sconces lined the walls and rows of long wooden tables flanked a broad flagstone walkway running up the center of the hall to a dais. Dust and cobwebs lay thick on everything except the object occupying that dais - a peculiar throne made of some substance which shone like white marble, its back carved into the shape of a woman with antlers growing from her shoulders. Her carved eyes watched them as they moved forward slowly.

"Another Watcher in Caed Nua," said a voice which, though it echoed through the walls on all sides, seemed to come from within the throne itself. Everyone in the little group jumped about a foot. "What strange happenstance."

"Did... everyone hear that?" Aloth said.

"I think it - uh, she - was talking to you," Edér said, nudging the Watcher from behind. 

"I've become so popular lately," Huani muttered, taking a step forward. "Hello? Who, or what, are you?"

"I'm sorry if I startled you," said the voice. "I'm afraid my manners have been slipping. I haven't had much opportunity for introductions lately. In any case, I assume you're here looking for Maerwald."

"I would certainly like to speak with him, but we assumed he was... gone."

"He is not. I can feel his presence faintly somewhere inside the keep, but he uses his gifts to confound me, and my senses are dulled while he does so." The voice grew soft and wistful. "I only wish I could know his mind. He began to grow distant some time ago. He never told me why. He retreated deeper and deeper, never leaving, sending servants for food, hiding himself from my sight. The last servant left some years ago. We have been alone here since."

Huani moved closer. "Can you tell me about him?"

"He was a great man. He came here one day, young with long hair and polished armor, and he banished the dark things that had come to lurk in this place after a century of neglect. He could see the beauty of this place. The way it had been. So he claimed it for his own when no one else would take it. We worked together to restore it; now all I can do is watch the place crumble around me."

"And you? Are you imprisoned here?"

"Imprisoned? At times it feels that way, I suppose. But it's more that I reside here. The throne was brought out of the ruins, and as a last favor to a dying woman, the thayn arranged for me to be moved into it." The voice gained a note of pride. "It's not as confining as it seems. I can feel the whole keep from here, and all things that are tied to it. There's something about this throne and its construction. Or maybe it's something about this place."

"Amazing," Kana said, his charcoal and parchment busy again. "An eternal steward in a throne of adra. And Maerwald still lives? Could we speak with him?"

"You may try. Perhaps another Watcher can bring him to himself again, at least for a time. Be kind, travelers. If only you could have known him so long ago..."

Passing through a side door which led out of the hall, they found a neglected stairway. It brought them down into a place which served both as a storeroom and, judging by the cells along one wall, a prison. It was dark, musty and nearly suffocating. Aloth turned a bit of discarded wood into a magical torch and they pressed on, the formless ghosts still shadowing their steps. Kana and Edér found their hands straying more and more often to their weapons.

There was another set of stairs, and at the bottom a long hallway which faded into darkness beyond the reach of their torchlight. Crates and tools were piled about haphazardly, as if they'd been quickly abandoned. The air felt like it had become a solid mass and it bore the faint smell of burning wood.

Huani pointed to a door on their right. "That one. Someone's waiting."

Edér was closest, so he put a hand on the door and it swung open slowly. There was a fire going in a makeshift pit, fitfully throwing light on shelves of books and scrolls, a filthy bedroll, and crates of various supplies. An old man, barrel-chested and paunchy, cowered in the far corner of the room. His voice was feeble and tremulous. "No! Keep away from us! Leave us!"

"Maerwald?" Huani said as the group stepped inside. "Your friend upstairs is concerned about you. Won't you speak with us?"

The man began muttering rapidly to himself, shaking his head and moving his hands jerkily. Then he calmed and his head tilted sideways a bit, fixing the group with a bright, cunning eye. "Maerwald isn't here," said a rasping voice, "and he isn't fooled. He has sent for no callers. Begone, deceiving spirits!"

"Please, look at us. We're not spirits."

The old man turned away and mumbled to himself again, then stood straight up, one hand at his side as if resting on a weapon hilt. He was much larger than they'd expected the hunched figure to be. "Maerwald will speak with you. But you will maintain your distance or you'll have me to answer to." The commanding voice faded and the man slumped, wringing his trembling hands together. "Come to speak to Maerwald? Maerwald whose touch is poison? Maerwald who knows not his effect?"

Huani softened her voice as best she could. "Those are not the things I've heard of you. The Dyrwoodans praise you for giving them aid and the lady in the throne speaks of you with fondness and concern."

He sighed. "A window. A window to the ether, where spirits dwell. Used it to help beings in both realms, did I. What the gods wanted of me, thought I." His shoulders straightened. "The gods put me in the world for vengeance, and I obliged." He shrunk again and glowered at the group. "It was the gods' wishes that we protect these lands," he rasped. "My way was the only way to remove the foreigners!" He shrank back into his stained robes and put his face in his hands. "Little I knew."

"What- what's _happened_ to you?"

"Too much. Too much to bear. Something reminds. Memories stirred. Memories before birth. Other bodies, other times. Maerwald has lost control. Maerwald's body no more."

Aloth's eyes narrowed. "You've been Awakened. But how could a simple Awakening have driven you to this?"

"Ghosts of the mind. Always whispering to Maerwald. Reminding him of his mistakes. No sleep. Once Maerwald Awakened, he could not make them leave. Gave them more form, not less. Stuck in time, mindless, cruel, never far. No sleep. No sleep for the Watcher."

"Wait," Huani said. "Those things we saw were Awakened memories given form, then? Through your abilities?" She was starting to look alarmed. "But I've seen things like that before. Every day since I became a Watcher. Are you saying they're not other people's ghosts, they're... mine?"

Maerwald looked at her with tears in his eyes. "Oh no. No no. You too?" His eyes searched her own, tracing out memories only he could see. "Yes. You too. Poor woman. Poor woman." His voice grew soft. "They will take you too."

Aloth and Edér both looked at her in sudden alarm. Kana folded his arms, glancing between the two Watchers. "What," he said, "an inevitable madness? That can't be right. There's always an answer to be found, if you look hard enough."

Maerwald shook his head. "So fragile, the Watcher's mind. So real the memories. Once Awakened, how can he sleep?"

Huani groaned and smacked herself between her horns. "Wine. I'm going to need wine. Lots of wine," she said, and looked at Maerwald again. "How did this happen to you? How did it start?"

"Strong memories. Lingering lives. They dwell near the surface, waiting to be remembered. Waiting to take your mind for their own. Maerwald sat at his hearth and watched his fire. Watched the wood burn. Then came the memory of another fire, and burning wood. And screams." He trembled.

"But I'm a Watcher! Can't I make them go away?"

"Yes. If others come, Watchers can help forget. Memories sleep again. Voices become still. But never ours. No cure for the Watcher." He groaned. "Can't forget. Can't unhear. Can't unsee."

"But - but there were these people. They wore masks and they talked about books and keys and a queen. And there was someone I knew _,_ somehow, he... he _did_ this to me."

"Yes. Maerwald sees. In the ruins, ashes of men, ashes of women. Keys of lead. Books of burden. Queens that were. Known to me are they, the Leaden Key."

" _What?_ " Kana said. "The Leaden Key? I know that name - a group of foolish, would-be assassins, or so I thought."

Maerwald shook his head slowly. "Secrets. Secrets and deceptions and schemes. Who knows their answers? Not they. Not they. Crossed them before. Hatred of Watchers. Hatred and fear. Much we see, threat to secrets." He rocked slowly. "City of defiance. Never far from the queen. Crown shattered and body burned. Binder of oaths and grudge holder. Bearer of justice, but whose?"

Edér chuckled. "Woedica? Oh, this is getting better all the time. Do they eat puppies too? Sound like just the sort of folks who would eat puppies."

Aloth gave him a rather nasty look. "This is serious."

"Sure, but if your life just keeps getting worse and worse, at some point it becomes funny. You'll see."

Aloth dismissed him with a gesture and turned to Huani, who was pressing her hands to her temples. He touched her shoulder gently. "What do you intend to do?"

"I don't know. What _can_ I do? Could I find him? Could he stop this?" She took a long breath and looked up at Maerwald. "It seems that, for a great many reasons, I need to reach Defiance Bay. Can we try to clear a path through your eastern gate?"

He nodded, a look of sympathy on his face. "Go. Sleep well, if you can. Sleep well." But as they began to move, his eyes turned cold and dangerous. "Hold! I know your will, Daî! Your actions were seen. You would sooner betray us to the Aedyr land thieves than take orders from me."

"Maerwald gave us leave," Huani said, holding up her hands in a gesture of peace. "We only- "

"Your betrayal is for nothing. Your warnings are lost on these foreigners, and their blood will be Galawain's tribute this night. I have asked the elders for the honor of claiming your head as my first trophy and they have granted it. Beg for the Seeker God to grant you a quick death."

He attacked. In a moment the room was full of wind and smoke and flame. They were driven back, but Aloth began counterspells and, gradually, a path was cleared for Kana and Edér. Once they got close, Maerwald dropped quickly.

There was a change in the air of the keep. The thick, suffocating atmosphere began to lift. Strange lights flickered on the crates and boxes piled in the room, then faded silently away. "His spells go with him," Aloth said, picking up the old Watcher's grimoire. "He must have been a powerful wizard once."

"Poor Maerwald," said Kana. "He couldn't contend with all that he knew of himself. A cruel fate."

Aloth glanced at Huani. She knelt by the body of the old Watcher and closed his eyes, but said nothing.


	7. Secret Keepers

Edér and Kana took the remains of the old Watcher between them and they all headed back upstairs, Huani lighting their way. Aloth lagged behind and they soon heard him having a quiet but furious argument with an unfamiliar voice. The other men looked back, a bit alarmed, then forward at Huani, but she just shrugged and shook her head.

When they reached the top level the men laid Maerwald out as best they could on one of the tables while the young Watcher walked up to the dais. "You slew him?" the echoing voice asked.

"I'm sorry. He attacked us when we tried to leave."

"It saddens me to hear it, but part of me is grateful to no longer have to wait and worry in darkness. This place has always known its master, long as it's had one. It has a will all its own." The voice paused, then continued with some hesitation. "Watcher, it looks to you as Maerwald's successor, whether you care for it or not."

"To _me_?"

"It must seem a dubious honor, but in the right hands, this could be a place anyone would be proud of."

"But... but I'm no thaynu. And there would need to be repairs. Guards. Servants. I can't afford things like that!"

"You needn't concern yourself with making things run smoothly. I'll be here, and I have a great deal of experience in such matters. And though I hate to contradict you, my lady, you are a rich woman."

"I am- what?" Huani tilted her head at the throne. "I hope you're not speaking metaphorically."

"Not at all. Maerwald had a fine treasury and it was well-protected. Speaking of which, perhaps something should be done about the barrier. The passage to the diggings is more or less collapsed- "

"Collapsed!" Kana said in dismay.

"Yes. Almost completely."

"Alas, so much for my dreams of exploration."

Huani reached up and patted the despondent scholar on the shoulder. "We may be able to clear it again. Eventually. Where is this barrier, steward, and what is its purpose?"

"On the lowest level, where you found Maerwald, in the passage between us and the ruins. The beasts infesting them occasionally manage to dig their way through; the barrier ensured they would not emerge to bother us. It would be wise to raise that barrier again."

"Aloth, could you- "

"Immediately. Though I would appreciate it if someone came along to watch my back while I prepared the spell."

"I volunteer!" Kana said, his enthusiasm quickly returning. "I want to see this tunnel, collapsed though it may be."

The two set off and Huani turned back to the statue. "What about the road to Defiance Bay? How can we get through?"

"Ah. Unfortunately, the Eastern Barbican also collapsed some years ago and Maerwald was too preoccupied to order it rebuilt. If you contact the guilds in Defiance Bay for me - the woodworkers, the stonemasons, and so on - I can see oversee repairs. Some of the old hands may even remember doing work for the steward of Caed Nua. In the meantime, perhaps you can simply climb over? You are all young and strong, after all."

Once Aloth and Kana returned, the group took Maerwald out of his keep for the first time in a decade and buried him next to Caed Nua's small chapel. Then it was time to inspect the barbican more closely and see what could be done. When Edér climbed down from an inspection of the breach itself, he was shaking his head.

"Good stonework up there. Someone brought it down on purpose. Guess old Maerwald wasn't just paranoid. We can get over if we scrounge up some rope; maybe we can even find a ladder or two."

They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the grounds, poking through the outbuildings and gathering up anything that looked useful. WIthin the keep itself they discovered a long room on an upper floor that once functioned as the barracks, a large kitchen below it and a substantial library off the main hall. The library was where Huani, Aloth and Kana all inevitably ended up, poring over the books and trying to save those which hadn't been eaten away by rodents or the elements. There was enough dry wood about to get a fire going in the fireplace, so they made camp there for the night.

Between the four of them, and with some odds and ends they gathered from the overgrown gardens, they managed to put together a meal which satisfied even Aloth's high standards. Kana related the story of his wanderings as they ate, starting with his studies in the lore college.

"In so many of our books and records, I found accounts of ancient Engwith. I decided that my third degree - after theology and the traditions, which are expected - would be in history, and that I would study the Engwithans. They were at the heart of so much discussion abroad, so many discoveries. I was subjected to some mockery over the decision; after all, we'd watched Aedyr draw itself into several conflicts with the Glanfathans over these ruins and Tâkowa had its own concerns, but I was determined. The trail I started on more than a year ago led me here."

"Why here?" Edér said. "It's only a few centuries old."

"The castle is, yes, but _behind_ the castle! Remember the statue I mentioned? If you could find a way up that cliff, you would see them - huge fingers carved from adra and sticking straight out of the ground. They're connected to a much larger structure which the local lords took an interest in all those years ago. It's one of the few ruins not closely guarded by the tribes. I'm told that the early thayns spent their lives trying to excavate the ruin, in spite of local superstition."

"The Glanfathans guard everything else," Aloth said. "Why not this?"

"Not _everything_. There is an Engwithan tower in Defiance Bay, for instance, which has also been abandoned. I would love to know their reasons, but they're not very forthcoming." He lowered his voice. "I _have_ had trouble, however. In Aedyr there were many people who had observed the Engwithan ruins in the Dyrwood, and I spent some time conferring with experts. In the libraries I found accounts of sites in Ixamitl. It was there I traveled next, but just before that I found myself approached by a woman in dark robes, who bade me abandon my studies for my own safety. I ignored her, of course. But I began to have the sense, after that, of being followed. And after that - well, one ambush on the road I could call misfortune, but three?"

He snorted. "I paid them little mind. Humorless sorts in long robes. But it's why I bought the sword, you see. I also thought it only fair to delve into their activities in turn, and that is where I found word of a 'Leaden Key.' Past that it was all ravings and superstitions. It seems, however, that others have had encounters with my mysterious friends. Where did you meet them, Huani?"

It was then, for the first time, that she told her story in full. The caravan. The bîaŵac. And, when they thought it was over, the strange men in the ruins. The ancient machine. The silent, ashen figures in the light of dawn. The nightmares that had followed her since that day - ancient memories of ancient cruelties. None of them knew what to make of the masked man who haunted her sleep and seemed so very, very familiar.

Huani took one last walk around the grounds before going to sleep, replaying the day's events in her mind. At last she got tired of watching her mind run in circles like some poor creature in a cage, so she climbed one of the watchtowers instead. It looked out over the river, the fields and the forests, all dim and misty under the stars, while the moon sailed peacefully along above it all. She was looking up at her bright kinswoman when she realized that she wasn't alone. Aloth had stolen up beside her, silent as a ghost, his pale face nearly hidden in the hood of his cloak.

"Am I interrupting?" he said.

"Not at all." She glanced up at the moon with a playful grin. "We're used to people walking in on our conversations. Do you want your fortune told? Senn Belafa is in a bit of a bad mood tonight, but Cawldha Debh is willing, though you may not like what you hear."

He gave her an uncertain look. "You _are_ joking. Aren't you?"

She chuckled. "Yes, of course, though you'd be surprised how many people refuse to believe that. Back home I couldn't go out and look at the night sky without getting all sorts of questions. Eventually I just began telling people what they wanted to hear. Sometimes they offered me money, but when I took it, I felt so guilty I- " She stopped and looked at him. "Sorry. There's something you want to talk about, isn't there?"

"Yes." He clasped his hands together nervously. "I thought I should explain myself. Particularly after our conversation with Maerwald earlier." He squirmed, rubbing the knuckles of one hand so hard that they turned white. "You see, I - I also have an Awakened soul." She looked at him in astonishment and he hurried on.

"Unlike yours, mine is a presence that shares my senses and my skin, making herself manifest at the most unwelcome times. I have none of her memories - Berath spared me that much. But her coarse manners and intolerable Hylspeak suggest a provincial from a very, very long time ago." He paused to let out his breath in a rush.

"Then back in Gilded Vale- "

"Yes, that was her doing. Iselmyr tends to surface a hair's breadth from conflict - when the fuse has burned down and teeth are on edge. And when she shows up, she doesn't stop to gauge a situation, she just... acts." He untwisted his hands and began fidgeting with the edge of his hood. "She is artless. Uncouth. A creature of rash impulses and feeble faculties. She doesn't think, and she doesn't back down. She wags her impertinent tongue when she should listen. I've tried to control her, but as I've gotten stronger, so has she."

"When did you Awaken? And how?"  
  
"Some fifty years ago now. My father was a strict man. He expected the best from his only child, and he didn't tolerate failure." He looked back over the castle grounds, throwing his face entirely into shadow. "At times he could be rather... adamant. Particularly when he'd been drinking. Iselmyr manifested on one such occasion. To be honest, I don't remember the specifics. Only that he was more careful with me after that."

Huani started to put a hand out to him, but drew it back. "Who else knows about this?"  
  
"My mother instructed me to keep her a secret after she first emerged. She feared that knowledge of my Awakening would render me an outcast. Even though Iselmyr proved useful against my father, I trusted my mother's advice, and I've since come to see the wisdom behind it. Those with Awakened souls are shunned. Mistrusted. Maerwald is an extreme example, but one that I can relate to more and more each year."

He took a deep breath and turned his head toward her again. "But now, perhaps... If I understood him correctly, Maerwald suggested that Watchers could undo Awakenings. Could you - could you try? It would mean a great deal to me."

She wavered. "I don't know. I'd like to help, but I'm still very new at this. I'm not sure- well, I'm not sure of anything, really. I suppose - I suppose I can try." She turned to face him and her eyes slowly lost their focus. For a long minute they stood there in the moonlight, as still as the stones around them, but when her eyes refocused she shook her head. "You're... dark. You're like a house with all its lights on and thick curtains over the windows. I can see enough to know someone's there, but nothing more. And I don't want to force my way in or I might break something."

She couldn't make out his face, but his shoulders sagged. "It was foolish of me to hope. After so long, I thought it might finally be over."

She took a few anxious steps closer. "I'm sorry. I'm always willing to listen, but I don't know what else to do. I wish I could give you a hug."

"A hug?" He stared at her as if he'd never heard the word before.

"Yes, you know..." She lifted her arms a little, then dropped them again. "They always make me feel better. I suppose it's not the same for everyone."

He stared at her so long that she began to fidget uncomfortably. "I - I could try it, I suppose," he said at last.

"Oh! Well, then." She smiled and held out her hands. "Come on. What's the use of having friends if you can't get a hug when you need one?"

He stepped forward and she put her arms around him gently. He was stiff and awkward at first, unsure of where to place his hands, but after a moment he rested them against her upper back and relaxed slowly.

"Are you going to tell the others?" she asked. "About Iselmyr?"

He sighed. "Must I?"

"No, but they've already noticed something... odd. The longer we all travel together, the more they're going to notice. Especially If she comes out again like she did in Gilded Vale."

"True." Another sigh. "I'll think about what to say tonight and tell them tomorrow. On the road." He started to move closer, then stopped, tensing. "Should I let go now?"

"No. I mean, only if you want to."

"Ah." He relaxed again and his arms wrapped around her. "Not just yet, then. Soon."


	8. Going in Circles

"Can we talk to her? I'd dearly love to learn some Hylspeak."

"No."

"Just a few words? A phrase? A song?"

"No."

"Does she cuss? Sounds like she'd know some good ones. We could trade 'em for beer."

"No."

"Here's what we do, Kana. We find a couple bears and run 'em over here. That'll get her going."

"No. Huani!"

"No bears, Edér."

"All right, then. Fox!"

"No foxes either."

"No, there! Look!"  
  
Sure enough, sniffing around a signpost at the crossroads up ahead was a very large, very white fox. It seemed to be friendly with a dwarven woman who was sitting nearby, her back against the signpost, a knapsack, bedroll, bow and quiver by her side. Dressed in hides and furs and with a dark stripe of face paint across her eyes, she stood out almost as much as her companion. She was sharpening a bone arrowhead with a scrimshaw-handled knife and glancing at an adra figurine by her feet.  
  
Edér was halfway over to her before the others even got started. "Does it bite? Can I pet it?"  
  
The dwarf shrugged. "Yes, he bites. And it's your hand."  
  
While Edér stood there considering his options, Huani caught up to him. "Good morning," she said, nodding to the dwarf. "We may be here a while, since I think he's going to need medical attention, so how about introductions? He's Edér, I'm Huani, and these are Aloth and Kana."  
  
"I'm Sagani and this is Itumaak. Don't worry, he won't give your friend any deadly diseases. I think."  
  
The fox had been watching them suspiciously, but now he barked and made a short bound in Huani's direction, then ran back to the dwarf. She gave him a long-suffering look. "Easy. It's not him."  
  
"No. No, last I checked, I'm definitely not 'him'."

"It's not that, it's just not you I'm looking for. I'm expecting a very, very old friend. I'm not sure what skin he's wearing now, but I'll know him when I see him."

"And this skin-changing friend of yours is meeting you out here, in the middle of nowhere?"  
  
"That's what I heard. Of course, the man who told me so was carrying a staff he claimed was made from dragon bone, but I know whitewood when I see it." She put her knife away and stretched her legs out in front of her. "That should've been my first clue, but I had to try something."  
  
The farmer made a move toward the fox, who dodged him easily. Huani laughed. "This gets more and more interesting! And I don't think Edér's ready to give up -"

"Nope."

"- so do you mind if we sit down?"  
  
"Go ahead." They settled in a little group around the signpost. "I take it you want the long version?"

Huani and Kana nodded eagerly, Aloth looked vaguely interested and Edér began slowly inching towards Itumaak, who kept a wary eye on him.

"I'm from an island to the far south called Naasitaq. I came here looking for a village elder, a man we knew as Persoq. I'm a hunter back home, so tracking someone wouldn't normally be a problem, but Persoq's trail is cold, to say the least."  
  
"How long have you been looking?" Kana said.  
  
Her muscular shoulders sagged a bit. "Five years."  
  
"Five _years_?" they echoed.  
  
"I know, I know. I'm trying to do a soul-recovery. Persoq died when I was still a young girl and I'm looking for his latest reincarnation... which could be anyone."  
  
"Why?" Aloth said. "And _how?_ "  
  
"'Why' is because it's important to my people. Still, it would be nice if important duties came with clearer instructions. Which leads into the 'how'." She picked up the adra figurine and looked at it wearily, then held it up to show the others. It was polished and smooth and seemed to glow in the sunlight. "Cute, isn't it? It belonged to Persoq. Before he returned to the Wheel, he left a splinter of his soul in it. Something to help us find him later." Kana had retrieved some parchment from his pack and was now scribbling furiously as she talked.

"When I left Naasitaq, it was completely dark inside, but as I've gotten closer to Persoq, it's glowed steadily brighter. Until I reached the Dyrwood. Now it's gotten hard to read. Some days it flickers and grows dark; others, it shines nice and bright... for a few hours. But most of the time, it looks just like this."

She shook her head in frustration. "I spent a year circling the area. Got as far south as Ozia and as far north as Fleetbreaker Castle when I realized the figurine was going dark again. Same thing happened when I trekked through the White March and circled the bays to the west."  
  
"What a journey! You must have some fascinating stories to tell," Kana said. "But it sounds like you've tried almost everything."  
  
"I have. And I can tell you what I _won't_ do again: rely on miracle-peddlers. It was some so-called 'Watcher' who sent me to this crossroads in the middle of nowhere in the first place."  
  
"A Watcher? Is that so?" Aloth glanced at Huani with a hint of a smile.  
  
" _So-called_. I was on my way out of the Bael Marsh when I heard talk of a traveling mystic who could supposedly see souls." She shrugged. "I knew it was a long shot, but what did I have to lose? I went to this fellow and gave him the adra figurine. He made a big show of moaning and rolling his eyes, and after I'd given him five Golden Ducs to lift the Shroud, he told me to seek the crossroads in the field between the 'wolf's lair' and the 'twining trees.'"  
  
"Gods, I'm doing this all wrong," Huani muttered. "I need to roll my eyes more and carry an impressive staff."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. And this is the place he meant?"  
  
"He thought he was being vague, but I know the area well enough to recognize it - right between Defiance Bay, seat of Aevar Wolf-Grin, and Twin Elms. I had a bad taste in my mouth, but my coin was spent and I'd already left an arrow in his knapsack as a friendly warning. Told him I'd come back and leave him with another it if turned out he was giving me the run-around. I've been here a week now. Guess he had the last laugh after all."  
  
The others were looking at Huani expectantly. She cast a sidelong glance at her knapsack before forging ahead. "May I see the figurine?"  
  
Sagani looked at the bear, then at the godlike, eyes narrowed. "Why?"  
  
"Would you believe me if I told you I'm a real Watcher?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I didn't think so. I just want to hold the figurine and stare at it like a slack-jawed idiot for a while. Is that all right?"  
  
Kana and Edér started giggling. Sagani looked at them, at Aloth, who was perfectly composed, at Huani, at the adra bear and back at Huani again. "Fine. But if you try to run, just remember that my arrows are faster." She handed over the figurine and watched, wary but curious.  
  
"Please spare the knapsack. It's been through a lot." Huani raised the bear and turned it in the light. As they watched, her eyes lost focus and she began speaking slowly. "I see pale cliffs overlooking water. I can smell salt in the air, so the water must be the ocean. There are trees and... a road. It's heavily traveled. I'd guess there's a city nearby - a large one." She blinked a few times and handed the figurine back.  
  
"What are you talking about? What just happened?"  
  
"I can throw in some theatrics if you like, but I'm really not very entertaining. I _am_ a real Watcher, though."  
  
"I know it sounds strange, but it's the truth," Aloth said. "We can all vouch for her."  
  
Sagani turned the statuette over in her hands a few times. "Once in a great many generations, one of my people is born with the ability to speak to souls. Usually, such individuals become elders... or a lone set of tracks in the snow."

"Well, that's encouraging."

"You realize I've got no coin to give you, even if I did believe you?"  
  
Huani laughed. "It's all right. Maybe I owe _you_ some coin - that was fun! I didn't even know I could do that." She turned to Edér. "Does the place I described sound familiar?"  
  
He stopped trying to coax Itumaak closer for a moment. "There's a road runs south from here toward the Pearl Coast. Gets real close to the cliffs before it turns for Defiance Bay. Only place I can think of that matches up."  
  
"Is it far?"  
  
"Few hours out of our way. We can cut cross-country, save some time. Probably camp there for the night."  
  
"Then let's go!" Huani jumped up. "Coming, Sagani?"  
  
"If this is your idea of a joke, you may be stuck with me for a while." She tucked her belongings away and shouldered on her pack. "Lead the way."  
  
It was a nice trip through some beautiful country. Spring had arrived in full force and all the green, growing things were putting out their leaves again. Kana spent most of the time interrogating their new acquaintance about her homeland. She answered his questions willingly enough, warming to the topic as they went, until they'd learned quite a bit about her husband, Kallu, her children, the tundra, the caribou hunts and her little village of Massuk.

"Soul-recovery is an old village tradition. We call it the Tarneq-Ilitsaak. We draw lots to choose the one who goes, and while they're honored as a hero, sometimes they're gone for decades. Sometimes they don't come back at all."

"Have you ever been sorry you were chosen?" Huani said.

"Sometimes. I didn't want to leave Kallu and our children, but I was eager to visit lands my people rarely do. Of course, our elders aren't usually reborn so far away. Most of these journeys last a few months. We find them, tell them about the village, and go home. And a generation or two later, the soul of the elder returns to us."

Aloth was giving her an odd look. "It almost sounds as if you Awaken people. On purpose."

"Not exactly, but... is that bad? It's never been a problem for us. We value our history in Naasitaq."

"Let's just say it's unusual. Awakenings are viewed rather differently in other parts of the world."

The adra bear grew slightly brighter as they went on, but Sagani didn't look hopeful. Towards evening they caught the smell of the sea. Edér guided them down the road he'd mentioned earlier and they followed it as it swung toward the cliffs. Eventually, Huani turned to walk about a stone's throw from the road and stopped.

"This is it. See anyone?"

"Here. Try again." Sagani handed her the figurine, but after a moment of concentration Huani shook her head and looked up.

"Why don't I just show you? Here." She offered her free hand to the dwarf, who took it hesitantly. Then her face brightened.

"This is amazing! I see it! He's... running. And running..." The women stood in silence for a good minute before Huani's gaze refocused again.

"I'm sorry. I can't keep it up very long. Did you recognize anything?"

"It looks like he's still near here, somewhere, but I couldn't make out any landmarks. How did you _do_ that?"

"It's a trick of the brîshalgwin - or ciphers, which is what Kana tells me they're called now. I sent my thoughts to you. It's possible to do _without_ touching the person, but that's much harder and I needed to concentrate on Persoq. I'm sorry he wasn't here."

Sagani shrugged. "After five years, a few hours spent on a wild goose chase doesn't seem like much. Are we going to make camp here?"

They did, and with Sagani's help it was short, easy work; she was clearly a master of the art. They settled around the fire and began eating and swapping stories. Edér didn't give up on his new life's work, but Itumaak was enjoying the game now and gleefully kept just out of arm's reach.

"Even if you were putting one over on me, it was nice to have a hunting party again," Sagani said as they prepared to turn in for the night. "It's been a long hunt. A long time away from my family."

"I can see how important it is to you. I hope you find him, and get back to them in the end," Huani said. "Good night, everyone."

"Good night! Let's hope Iselmyr will break her silence in the morning. Right, Edér?"

"Right."

" _No._ "

"Who's Iselmyr?"


	9. City of Defiance

In the morning, Sagani was given one last look through the adra figurine, but all it showed was darkness. They said a round of friendly goodbyes - and Edér made one more attempt to ambush Itumaak -  before heading their separate ways. About an hour later, the four headed to Defiance Bay heard someone calling them from back up the road.

"Wait! I changed my mind! I wasn't getting any closer to Persoq just waiting out there. You may be another bunch of frauds, but at least you're a _fun_ bunch of frauds. Can I join your hunting party for a while?"

Sagani and Itumaak were welcomed back with open arms. Two hours later, the little group found themselves crossing a grand bridge lined with massive, fiery braziers, and, passing under the shadow of the eastern gate, they entered the jewel of the Dyrwood - Defiance Bay. It was a place of crowded streets, hurrying citizens, reformers shouting on street corners and refugees listening and muttering in angry agreement. Huani and Sagani couldn't stop staring at _everything_ , while Aloth and Kana showed the educated interest of more seasoned city dwellers. Edér behaved exactly as he had everywhere else.

A few inquiries pointed them in the direction of the nearest inn, the Goose and Fox. It was as loud, crowded and boisterous as the city around it; Aloth took one look and insisted that they engage a private parlor, which, if they wanted to have any kind of quiet conversation, was clearly going to be a necessity. They purchased rooms for the next few nights and stowed their traveling gear before going back downstairs to eat and talk. Huani was just about to enter the parlor when she gasped and pointed at a man in the common room, some distance away. His hair was made of living flame.

"Look, look, look! Aloth, should we ask him how he sleeps at night?"

"Please don't."

"Aren't you curious?"

"Have we nothing better to do than accost random strangers?"

"Well... all right." She reluctantly moved inside and shut the door.

They tore into their midday meal and laid out a plan of attack. Edér hadn't forgotten his desire to visit the palace archives; Huani wanted to meet the ciphers in Dunryd Row; they owed various guild halls a visit on behalf of Caed Nua's steward; and, of course, they had to track down the Leaden Key. Somehow.

Kana had another item to add to the list. "Aloth, why don't you visit the Sanitarium in Brackenbury? You might find some help there."

"From _animancers_?"

"Yes! Who better? The soul is their field of expertise."

"They're nothing but charlatans who prey on the gullible."

"Oh, come now. What can it hurt? _You're_ not gullible, surely? Perhaps you'll be able to show them up as the frauds you believe they are."

The wizard had no answer. He looked away and muttered something about thinking it over.

They visited the guilds first and their presence sent a ripple of excitement through each hall on the list. Caed Nua was a bit of a legend, it seemed. Promises in hand and deposits paid, they got directions to the residence of the Duc. As they moved toward the central part of the city the cheap lodging-houses, the crowds and the street-corner preachers faded away, replaced by impressive architecture and imposing guards. The guards outside the splendid, white-walled palace were _particularly_ imposing, and they refused to allow Itumaak within its halls. He and Sagani remained outside willingly enough; he napped in the sun while she made small talk with the guards and gazed at the fluted columns.

Everything went well at first. The palace was comfortably warm and sumptuously furnished, the servants were helpful, the archives were easily located and... closed to the public. They left not long after they'd entered, consoling Edér as best they could. A few words were enough to fill Sagani in before deciding what to do next. She happened to have an idea on that front.

"See that building over there - or what used to be one?" She pointed down the little hill they were standing on at a clump of crumbling, overgrown stone walls. "Know what the guards say it was? Woedica's temple."

"Looks a lot like the temple back in Gilded Vale," Edér said. "Never thought Woedica and Eothas would have something in common."

"What was it that old Watcher told you - 'Never far from the Queen'? Maybe we should take a look."

They had to walk down several flights of wide marble steps before they could approach the ruin, which stood out like a sore thumb in the midst of the impressive government buildings. The closer they got, the less likely it seemed that they'd find any help among the tumbled stones, but when they were within ten feet Huani came to a sudden stop.

"There's a spirit here!" She pointed at some invisible thing within the rubble. "Perhaps it can tell us something."

"Really?" Kana's eyes lit up. "Can... can I watch? That is, will it work, the thing you did with Sagani earlier - sharing your thoughts? I'd very much like to hear from a spirit."

"Why not?" She held out her hand and he took it. They entered the ruins together, then stood, silent and unmoving, for about five minutes. Kana was practically bouncing off the ruined walls when they returned.

"Lord Adwellen Rügfald III! One of the _very_ _first_ colonists to cross the sea from Aedyr! Ordered here by the emperor himself!"

"Did he say anything that would help us?" asked Sagani.

"Well..." Kana glanced at the Watcher.

"No, not really," said Huani. "Mostly he complained about how 'the barbarians' kept going around and burning things. He did say that the main sanctum is underground, adjacent to the catacombs, and if we want to participate in the ceremonies we should just take the stairs."

"What ceremonies? And what stairs?" said Aloth.

"The ones buried under all the rubble, of course. And the ceremonies - I'm not sure. He might be confused, but then again, he might not be." She shrugged. "In any case, we'll have to find another way in."

"On to our next stop, then," said Kana. "Which I _still_ think should be the Sanitarium."

"No!"

"But it's on our way! Both the Sanitarium and Dunryd Row are in the Brackenbury district. What do you have to lose by asking?"

Aloth raised more protests, but they finally convinced him to give it a try. Brackenbury turned out to be an extremely upscale part of the city, its streets lined with mansions and decorated with shimmering fountains. The Sanitarium itself was a low building in the colonial style surrounded by wrought iron gates, very well-maintained, eminently respectable. Aloth _almost_ made it in. He balked at the door and began insisting that everyone except Huani wait outside. They agreed. They waited, splashing about a bit in one of the fountains despite the glares of the locals. It was almost an hour before the intrepid pair emerged again.

"That was amazing!" she said.

"That was appalling!" he said simultaneously. They looked at each other in surprise.

"But we learned so much!"

"Nothing we didn't already know, or at least suspect."

"Bellasege drew you out wonderfully."

" _You_ drew me out. I doubt she could draw flies."

"We talked with Iselmyr!"

"A dubious pleasure at best."

"And you remembered - so many things."

"Which I had happily forgotten."

"She could _measure_ your _essence_!"

"For all the good it did."

"That was more than I could do. You know, for a moment, you weren't so dark. I could _see_."

He blinked at her. "You could?"

"Yes! Though I lost it when she started talking about spleens." Huani giggled and Aloth rolled his eyes.

"As I said to begin with. Charlatans."

"She tried to help, and she's trying to learn - those aren't terrible things."

Aloth made a disgusted noise and fell silent. "Huh," Edér said. "Well. Only one more thing - what's going on there?" He pointed; the bickering pair looked down to find their hands clasped together.

Huani broke away immediately, her face turning a lovely shade of purple. "Aloth was- Bellasege said- Oh, look, Hadret House! I should go talk to the ciphers. Meet you back at the Goose and Fox later!"

She sped off; the others either smirked or cast a wondering glance at Aloth; he just sighed. "I saw a decent-looking inn not far away. I need some wine."


	10. Ruffling Feathers

They went their separate ways for the next few hours. Aloth and Kana paid a visit to the Hall of Revealed Mysteries while Edér and Sagani decided to see what Admeth's Den expedition hall had to offer. When they all met back at the inn for their evening meal, they exchanged discoveries.

Huani was full of news about the ciphers - their methods, their connections, their finely honed ability to gather information from the world around them. Sagani and Edér talked about the wall of postings in Admeth's Den. There were requests for bodyguards, couriers and adventurers of all kinds; they figured that answering a few could bring in some coin and a lot of information about the city. Aloth and Kana, in turn, thought the Hall held many possibilities: historical documents, scholarly studies, reports on strange events in the area, odds and ends of esoterica that could throw light on the mystery of the Leaden Key.

In a few days' time they had settled into a comfortable routine. First thing every morning, over breakfast, they checked the figurine for Sagani, though all they learned was that Persoq had a strong aversion to landmarks. Then they split up - Huani spent her mornings studying at Dunryd Row and her afternoons combing the archives with the other scholars, while Sagani and Edér spent the day in the expedition hall or doing odd jobs around town, keeping their ears open, grabbing the others if they needed help on an assignment. In the evening, they met to eat and confer, checked the figurine again, and went to bed.

They'd been in Defiance Bay for almost two weeks when Sagani barreled into Dunryd Row one morning, Itumaak at her heels. She was known to the ciphers there - she'd taken an interest in their tracking methods - so they didn't tackle her to the ground, but they did follow as she ran through one room after another until she found Huani. "Sorry!" she said, grabbing the godlike. "Docks! Now! Hurry!"

They raced down to Ondra's Gift, Huani trying - and failing - to get some idea of what was going on. The dwarf headed for a warehouse marked as belonging to the Vailian Trading Company, where they almost barreled into Edér coming from the other direction with a very confused Aloth and Kana in tow.

"We too late?" he asked, panting.

"I don't know. Come on." Sagani pushed the warehouse door open and they piled inside.

It was a lavishly-furnished building. Rich wood paneling lined all the walls, acting as background to elegant desks, impressive bookcases, highly varnished tables, and brightly dressed, perfectly manicured employees, who dazedly watched the ragtag group push past them.

Sagani led everyone through the front offices and into the main warehouse where a middle-aged human was giving orders to a group of laborers. He wore sparkling rings and silk clothes, but the silk was patched in places and his face was pinched and harried.

"Verzano! You're all right!" Sagani said, coming to a stop in front of him.

"All right?" He turned to frown at his unexpected guests. "Yes, of course. Were you able to deliver the package?"

"This woman showed up," Edér put in, still fighting for breath. "Said she was a Doemenel. Didn't seem too happy with us."

" _And_ she said she'd be paying you a visit. I don't think she meant a friendly one. That's why we brought _them_." Sagani gestured to the other three as the warehouse workers scattered left and right. Verzano's eyes went wide.

"The Doemenels were there? But - but I was so careful, always following the verlavita. They couldn't have known!"

"What's going on?" Huani demanded. "Who are the Doemenels? And what delivery are you talking about?"

"An old merchant family," Verzano murmured, beginning to sweat. "Still powerful, and quite... unforgiving. They were only some bitter squash seeds - I thought -"  
  
There was a bang from the front of the warehouse and they all jumped. The heavy tread of metal boots sounded from the rooms beyond. The connecting door flew open and in stalked a woman with golden eyes and a magnificent feathered head. She bore a large, crimson-hilted sword and was clad in elegant, but _very_ functional, armor; on her shining breastplate was the mark of the Five Suns.

"Well, well. Is this your last day among the living, Verzano?" she said, both angry and amused. The merchant held out a pair of shaking hands.

"Your timing is impeccable, Tella Pallegina. The Doemenels are after me. Please, you've got to stop them."  
  
She snorted. "As if any of this were ever in my hands. The Republics considered your business worth protecting based on its success. That success depended on cooperation with the locals, like House Doemenel. You've lost that... and the favor of the ducs."  
  
He made a strangled noise and dropped to his knees. "Have mercy, Pallegina. I don't stand a chance against the Doemenels. I've brought failure and shame on myself, but you can't mean to watch your countryman die like a dog."

She shook her head at him in slow pity. "Verzano, Verzano... why are you wasting your precious breath on me? My orders come through the ambassador, and through the ambassador, from people you should be honored ever gave a moment's thought to whether you live or die. You don't seem like the sort to petition the gods to keep him out of Hel, but perhaps you should reconsider. I see they've already sent another of 'their own.'"

The words were bitter with sarcasm; she turned and raised her eyebrows at Huani. The Watcher took a half step back under the intensity of that gaze.

"I- er- " Huani looked at Edér and Sagani. "Well, I assume you didn't grab us because you thought we'd enjoy standing around and watching this man be brutally murdered, so - " she looked back at Pallegina, " - yes, I suppose we're some sort of answer to prayer. We'll protect him."

The paladin threw back her head and laughed. "Ha ha ha! Oh, Verzano, you have a saint looking out for you after all. Just don't come knocking on the embassy door. Understand?" She stepped across the room to give Verzano a light slap on either cheek, then turned to Huani. "Do as you will. He's no longer my concern."  
  
She stalked out again. The adventurers were laying out a hasty battle plan when they suddenly ran out of time - through the open loading doors of the warehouse walked five armed intruders. The five adventurers swiftly moved to take up protective positions in front of Verzano, which gave the thugs pause. They glanced at their leader, a very well-dressed human with a rapier at her side and a wide-brimmed hat tilted at a rakish angle. She regarded the opposition with narrowed eyes.

Huani stepped forward. "Representatives of House Doemenel, I take it?"

The woman nodded slightly. "We are. I don't believe we've met, godlike, though two of your associates are... familiar to me. I am Danna Doemenel."

"My name is Huani. I understand that you're here to punish this merchant, Verzano, for transgressions against your house."

"Quite correct." Danna ran one gloved hand along the sheathed edge of her rapier. "He's crossed us before. This is where we draw the line."

"Are you open to a proposition?"

The noblewoman looked at her thoughtfully, at the others behind her with their weapons ready, at Verzano, and at her own pack of swordsmen. "I am a reasonable woman. What do you propose?"

"Verzano leaves on the next ship headed toward the Republics. Everything he has is yours. I understand that you would prefer to make an example of him, but think about the example it will set when you try to kill him... and _fail_." Huani's voice was even, but a few of her companions grinned to show just how much they were looking forward to it.

"If you accept my proposal, you still make a statement, you lose none of your hirelings here, _and_ you may even turn a profit. Reasonable?"

There was a long pause before Danna let her hand slide from her weapon. "I think we can accept that arrangement. I claim this warehouse and all its contents for the Doemenels. And _his_ purse - _now_. Throw it here."

Verzano complied with trembling hands; Danna weighed the purse a moment before pocketing it. "This had better be the last time we see your face, Vailian." She gave the man a cocky salute and led her group back the way they'd come. Verzano nearly fell over in his relief.  
  
"I - I can't thank you enough, aimica. I've got to get out of here. I only hope - I'm not much use to anyone as a deckhand or a cabin boy -"

"Here." Huani reached into her own purse and counted out a few golden suoles. "Use these to buy your passage and get back on your feet. Consider it a loan. Pay it back, when you can, to the steward of Caed Nua."

"Thank - thank you!" The merchant clutched the money to his chest, looking dazed. "I will. There's a ship leaving with the next tide. I promise I will be on it, and - and please, look out for yourself."  
  
He hurried through the offices and out the front door, only stopping to collect his feathered hat from a peg. When the five adventurers followed they found the paladin, Pallegina, waiting outside. She gave them an appraising look.

"It's done, then," she said. "Verzano plays with fire and someone else always pays the price for it. Your charity is more than he deserves. Still, at least I don't have to deal with him anymore. For that, I'm grateful.

"Whether you intended to or not, you've done the Vailian Embassy a service today, ridding us of him. I work closely with the embassy to protect our interests and I think there is more you could do for us. Officially, I mean. We can go together and I'll introduce you to the ambassador." She strode off without waiting for a reply, but there was no need - the group of adventurers followed in meek obedience.  
  
They were led to one of the largest embassies in First Fires and ushered into a meeting with Ambassador Agosti. He was politely grateful and did, indeed, suggest a few more matters they could look into for a small consideration, with Pallagina acting as go-between. As the days went by, this proved to be an excellent arrangement - they began moving in slightly higher circles and gaining a better reputation than they had in expedition hall work, slowly bringing them closer to archive access.

Pallagina was completely formal with them at first, but she began to relax as she learned to trust their skill and tact. Eventually they were sitting down to tea with her in the embassy, telling her about the strange paths which brought them all to that place. She listened patiently and, when they were done, sat back in her chair, regarding them all with wry amusement.

"Truly? Secret organizations? Conspiracies? I thought Dyrwoodans had more sense. Though, now I think of it, only one of you is native here, correct?" She tilted her feathered head at Edér. "But if you are set on this foolishness, I have a suggestion. Look here."

She beckoned them into a nearby room where a large map of Defiance Bay hung along one wall. "Here is the temple. And here," she moved her dark finger in a large circle, "is the district of Copperlane. Do you know what lies beneath it?"

"Sewers," Edér said. "We heard talk about 'em in the expedition hall. Some folks died when they flooded a while back."

"Yes, sewers, drainage, a place to collect and send away what is unwanted. The Aedyrans knew how to build a city. I am sure you could even find plans, either in the palace or the Hall of Wael. But plans would not show you everything. No wise builder puts their secrets down in ink."

She moved her finger back to tap the ruined temple. "Followers of Woedica would not leave themselves with only one way out. I fully believe a part of your tale - that there is, or was, another way into the sanctuary, most likely through the tunnels and catacombs. But is it still there?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's time to find out," said Huani. "Someone will know how to get beneath Copperlane. Who's coming with me?" There were four volunteers immediately. The godlikes looked at each other, one skeptical, the other eager. "You don't want to come and see if your guess is right, Tella Pallegina? Or - just _maybe_ \- if ours is?"

The paladin's golden eyes narrowed, but there was a gleam of interest in them. "Why not?" she said at last. "Maybe I can finally do something more interesting than playing nanny to merchants."

A few inquiries led them to a rusted iron gate in a back alley of Copperlane, and from there a worn flight of stone steps brought them down into the tunnels. Not surprisingly, they were dark, damp and musty, the watercourses full of runoff from the spring rains. Broken stonework and rubble choked most of the side passages. After several dead ends, they came upon something else - a dead man, battered, bloody, slumped against one of the slime-coated walls.

"There's a spirit here," said Huani, starting forward.

"Oh! Wait! I want to hear."

"Me too!" Kana and Sagani grabbed her hands and they walked up to the body while Pallegina shook her head in disbelief. There was a long silence.

"We've got... something," Sagani said at last, turning back to the group. "I think those were passphrases. Kana, do you remember them all?"

"I certainly do. Listen carefully, my friends:

_State your name and purpose.     -   My name belongs to the gods and my hand to their service._

_What company do you seek?        -   I seek the company of shadows, that our labors may remain secret._

_Tell me of your labors.                -  To see that the craft of kith and wilder does not disturb what bones the gods have buried._

_How do we know your purpose?  -  You shall know it by the confession of my tongue, the deeds of my hand, and the oath on my soul._

_And how is your oath guarded?   -  It is sealed by the Leaden Key._

He grinned. "Appropriately mysterious and dramatic, is it not? Now, about the numbers he mentioned - directions of some kind?"

Huani nodded. "They were. I saw the turns as he counted them off. I think I can follow them." She bent down and removed a peculiar mask and hood from the man's head, giving them a disgusted look before trying to wash them off a bit with her waterskin. "Hmm. This is going to be a tight fit."

"One of us could go," Edér offered, but Huani shook her head.

"No, I can pull the information from their minds without asking questions. I'll be a bit more conspicuous but, I hope, less suspicious."

She pulled the hood on as best she could. Edér, Sagani and Kana started laughing at the monstrosity which resulted; Pallegina rolled her eyes, but her skepticism was fading fast; Aloth backed away, wringing his hands and looking increasingly nervous.

"Wait back by that last grate we saw," Huani said, her voice muffled. "If I'm not back by the time the light fades, well... go back to the inn and come up with a plan B." She about to set off when a strange voice sounded in their ears.

"Back, ye clod! Those hooded fyndes are nye to be trusted."

They turned to Aloth in shock. His hand was pressed against his forehead, as if he were in pain. "It's nothing," he said in a strangled voice. "I'm fine."

She went. They waited, some pacing restlessly, some talking in low whispers. Aloth sat huddled in a corner, his head in his hands.

The light through the grate was growing dim when Huani came bounding back, pulling off the hood and mask with obvious relief. She held up her hands before they could start asking questions. "I'll tell you - just not here. And not at the inn, either. Let's go back to Caed Nua. It's... safer."


	11. Working in the Dark

Five of them made their way back to the Goose and Fox; Pallegina, who was now genuinely intrigued, returned to the embassy to ask permission for a visit to Caed Nua. She joined the others next morning on a chestnut charger which put their rented palfreys to shame. It was a full-day trip, even on horseback, but Huani still refused to answer questions, though she did have a long discussion with Kana about the various Engwithan ruins in the Dyrwood and their characteristics.

It was Pallegina who kept the group entertained by sharing stories of her exploits in the Brotherhood of the Five Suns. As she told it, having a godlike in the ranks was seen as a prestigious thing, though when she casually mentioned that her father had _sold_ her to the Brotherhood she got some horrified looks. She shrugged them off.

"My father resented me anyway. He could have killed me at birth and no one would have blamed him. Now I serve the Republics."

"Then the Brotherhood is more accepting than the general population?" Aloth said.

"For the most part. But being different means always looking over your shoulder, no matter what company you keep."

They arrived at the castle to find repairs well underway, the barbican rebuilt, the keep cleaned and aired, most of the outlying buildings in the process of restoration, but, to Kana's disappointment, the tunnel to the ruins was still blocked and warded. Opening up the entrance to the dark, scary, bug-infested pit of ancient ghosts was last on the priority list, for some unaccountable reason.

They greeted the steward and the workers and settled into two villas which were mostly ready for occupancy. Several kitchens on the grounds were up and running and guild cooks, well-supplied by the steward, were busily at work, so the group had a hot evening meal before gathering in the keep's library.

Sagani had wheedled a large map of the Dyrwood out of the ciphers, which she now set about tacking up along one wall. When that was finished, she began sticking pins in all the places they knew - or guessed - Persoq had been. The others found comfortable seats and set some ale, wine or tea near to hand, according to their preference, and Huani began.

"Getting to the sanctuary wasn't bad, if you don't count the darkness. And the insects. And the bones stuffed into recesses in the walls. I met a few other people going the same way, all with the same terrible fashion sense as our dead friend. They weren't a very trusting bunch, mentally, so I had to think of a way to get past their defenses. When we were almost to the sanctuary I collapsed on the ground and started mumbling incoherently about Creitum."

"What?" said Pallegina. " _That_ was your plan? What is Creitum?"

"It wasn't a plan, exactly, it was more of a - a thing. That happened." She shifted uncomfortably. "And I have no idea where Creitum is - or was - only that it was important to me. Well, not _me_ me, but someone knocking around in here." She tapped her head lightly.

"In any case, all the masked folks gathered around and the guards came over, and everyone got a lot more talkative, and I picked up a few interesting things once I finally remembered where I was. I had the passphrases, so they wrote it all off as some kind of godlike strangeness and let me inside.

"There were about twenty people hanging around inside the sanctuary itself, all wearing the mask and hood. Gods, that hood was _awful_. It smelled like - well, never mind. I ignored it and gathered as much information as I could.

"I got a lot of images of Engwithan ruins. Most of the people were just watching them, I think, but a few were very worried about something I couldn't pinpoint. From a few people I got a different sort of memory - a young man sitting in darkness behind a barred door. He was thin, with ragged clothes and matted hair, but his eyes were bright. He was waiting. Not to be set free, though; I could see that much. He was there _by choice_. He had a purpose.

"And there was one last thing. Someone got what seemed to be an assignment from another of the masked figures. I picked up an ancient tower, a cemetery, streets lined with huge houses, a strange door that opened to a spoken command, and a man and woman who were... not right."

" _That_ I begin to recognize," Pallegina said. "Heritage Hill. The district has been closed for months now; you must have heard the rumors about it."

Edér nodded. "Sure. Dead folks walking around. Patrols lost. Sounds real cozy. I've been meaning to visit."

"There's an Engwithan tower in the district," said Kana, "one of the few ruins abandoned by the Glanfathans. Could that be significant? Are the Leaden Key trying to activate it?"

"I think they already have," said Huani. "Which might explain a few things."

"Oh," said Kana. "Perhaps they wish to turn it off, then?"

"No. Just the opposite. I think they want to make sure it _isn't_ turned off."

Sagani cursed under her breath. "Sounds like we need to do something about that."

"What? You?" Pallegina regarded them all with disbelief. "Squads of Crucible Knights in full plate have been lost there, and you five unarmored fools think to survive? How?"

They looked at each other. "Anyone know where we can buy some armor?" Huani asked. Pallegina groaned.

They spent the rest of the evening discussing which armorer in the city to visit. As it grew late, Huani noticed Aloth casting quizzical looks in her direction; when she left to take a turn on the walls before bed, she wasn't surprised to see that he had followed her.

"What is it?" she said, giving him a teasing smile. "Another personality?"

"No. If only it were that simple."

They walked in silence along Caed Nua's narrow ramparts. The skies were clouded and the night breeze brought the scent of rain and wet leaves down from the hills. Aloth nearly turned back more than once, but he finally straightened his shoulders and clasped his hands firmly behind him. "I need to say this. I was a member of the Leaden Key. No doubt they would tell you I still am."

Huani backed away a few steps. " _What?_ "

"I know. Listen, please, and I'll try to explain." He took a deep breath. "When I finished my training in Aedyr, I was introduced to the organization by one of my instructors. After seeing a few of my colleagues abandon their studies in magic to pursue animancy in the Republics, I was convinced that something needed to be done to stop the spread. All I knew was that the Leaden Key were opposed to the unchecked spread of animancy and that they could guarantee me postings far away from the Cythwood, my father, and his erl. At that time, it was enough."

"You didn't realize they - ?"

"In the early years, I thought of them only as prudent teachers. Their rules were strict, but their guidance was clear. I sincerely believed they wanted to keep kith from the folly of their own foolish ambitions." He looked out at the river, which was little more than a dark gap in the land outside the walls.

"I came to the Dyrwood a little over a year ago. My orders were to gather information on animancy in the region. A senior contact met with me every few months to receive my reports and issue new leads. She sent me to Gilded Vale to keep an eye on events surrounding the local lord, but I lost track of her shortly after that. I don't know if she was reassigned, killed or... sacrificed, the way you saw. By the time you met me, I'd been on my own for a couple of months."

A flash of terror crossed Huani's face. "Were you waiting for me?"

"No, of course not. How could I have been?"

"But - but if you'd been given orders to, I don't know, kill Watchers, would you -"

" _No!_ " He looked horrified. "I'm no assassin. I knew the Leaden Key was trying to stop animancy, but I didn't realize how far they'd gone. Murder, sabotage, abandoning entire districts to shambling horrors... they told me nothing about these things. And I'm sure there are many more Leaden Key members who know as little as I did. It's an organization of people operating in near-perfect ignorance. You could tell them anything you liked and they'd never know the truth. It's abhorrent, but, at the same time, brilliant, I must admit."

He sighed. "I had come to a dead end in Gilded Vale. I needed some kind of direction, but after that scrape with the locals, I was ready to get out of town. I would likely have wandered until my money ran out and then... well... gone up to the ruins, I suppose, and returned myself to the Wheel. I had nothing else."

She looked at him with a churning mix of shock, horror and pity. "I - I'm glad you didn't."

"As am I."

"You know, with your luck, you would've Awakened centuries from now in the body of another Iselmyr."

That made him smile and shudder at the same time. She walked away a few more steps, putting her hands to her temples. "Should I be angry with you? Half of me wants to be, but the other half keeps coming up with reasons to just let it go. I'm afraid neither half is being very rational at the moment.

"You know, if you were a spy, and you thought I was beginning to suspect something, this would be a perfect way to throw off suspicion and stay with us."

"Or I could remain as long as possible and disappear when it became clear I'd been detected. Both options would be risky." He looked down, twisting his hands behind his back. "The safest thing for all of you might be if I simply walked away."

"No. No, don't do that. It's just hard to hear all this from someone you - you trusted." She sighed. "Is this what Iselmyr was trying to say?"

"When?"

"In her little outburst before I went off to find the sanctuary. Remember?"

"Ah. I must admit, she never did like the Leaden Key. She was wiser than I; I should have listened to her." Huani laughed and he looked up, startled. "What?"

"I never thought I'd hear you say something like that!"

He smiled ruefully. "Wisdom is hard-earned sometimes."

"Almost always, I think. You know you're going to have to tell the others."

"Yes. I imagine they'll be tempted to kill me."

"It's very possible. Any last requests?"

"No. Well, perhaps -" he made a gesture with his hands which she didn't understand at first, but then she smiled and put her arms around him.

"This?"

"Yes." He closed his eyes and let his chin rest on her shoulder. "This precisely."


	12. Do not go gentle into that good night

They didn't kill him, though Pallegina looked as if she was considering it. Sagani and Edér took the revelation in stride. Kana was shocked, but once he recovered he began plying Aloth with questions. He didn't stop until the wizard, in desperation, bribed him with the promise of a few written sentences in Hylspeak.

They returned to Defiance Bay and visited its most prestigious armorers. Pallegina insisted on coming along to help them select the right equipment for their needs. Edér was the easiest to deal with; he already had his old Saint's War hauberk, which didn't need more than polishing and a few repairs. He decided to add a shield for extra protection and spent some time decorating it with the image of a strangely deformed dead tree. He said it reminded him of home. Kana had trouble finding armor in his size, but at last he discovered a suit of crimson brigandine which could be altered to fit. Sagani picked through racks of heavy shirts made from tanned hides, offering each one to Itumaak for approval. He would sniff it appraisingly and then return to gnawing on a leather chew toy which one of the apprentices had made for him.

Huani fell in love with a suit of full plate which bore an engraved swan wing design. Pallegina was _horrified_. She took the cipher by both shoulders and steered her firmly toward the leather jerkins. Aloth searched high and low and managed to come up with some sleeveless Aedyre-style leather armor. Pallegina raised an eyebrow at it, but said nothing; Huani pronounced it "distracting" and then turned faintly purple and refused to elaborate.

With all that settled, there was still the matter of a weapon for their resident Watcher. Pallegina recommended something light - a dagger, rapier or pistol - but Huani got sucked into a leatherworker's demonstration of a bullwhip and refused to consider anything else. Pallegina gave up arguing, but insisted that Huani use the whip only as a last resort.

Fittings and repairs took several days. They put the time to good use by training at the expedition hall. Pallagina stopped by each afternoon to help Edér drill them in group fighting tactics, but each evening she left shaking her head and muttering darkly to herself. When the fateful morning came they visited the headquarters of the Crucible Knights, who gave them looks of wonder and pity but didn't refuse entrance to the district, and then assembled outside the gate to Heritage Hill. They were discussing the situation with the guards when Pallegina stalked up to them.

"You're going through with this? Have you lost all reason?"

"Not _all_ reason," Huani said. "We bought the armor."

The paladin cast a long-suffering look at the sky. "Will no one save me from idealistic adventurers? An entire district of walking, flesh-eating corpses, and you're relying on - what? Hope? Luck? The favor of the gods? As things stand, you have no chance of coming out alive... so I'm going in with you." She held up a hand. "Don't thank me. I already regret it."

She put them into marching order, designated Edér second-in-command, placed herself in front and commanded that the gate be opened. The guard obeyed, a little reluctantly. "I was expecting them to send in a whole squad of justiciars," he said. "Not that I'm volunteering, mind you. Just watch your step. I'm afraid we can't send anyone after you if this goes badly."  
  
The gate closed behind them and the heavy bars slid into place. A sickly smell of decay filled the air but, at first, nothing moved. Pallegina led them swiftly through the streets of a district that had once been as rich and exclusive as Brackenbury. Now the cobblestones were stained and filthy, the gardens were overgrown and the windows were dark behind broken panes. They made as directly as they could for the tower which they could see above the roofs to the west.

Just as they turned a corner they were set upon by staggering, rotting corpses. They stumbled back in horror - all except Pallegina. She was on the attack at once, shouting a Vailian battle cry. Edér recovered a split second later and rallied the others to the fight. They cut down pile after pile of moaning, maggot-ridden flesh, and Aloth set the heaps ablaze. The blackened masses that were left still twitched, but could no longer follow. Huani and Kana went off to one side to be sick and then the group continued.

They had to cut through two more waves of ghouls before they arrived at the tower. A winding stone path led halfway down to the entrance and wooden scaffolding had been built to cover the rest of the distance. At the bottom they came to a huge, elaborately carved door with no sign of a handle. It was flanked by pillars of stone and adra and surrounded by a mosaic of tiles laid in concentric rings. They could hear a sound from inside, but it was no more than a subtle vibration of the stinking, stagnant air.

Huani moved to the door and repeated the words she'd learned from the Leaden Key. There was the noise of machinery coming to life, a confusion of rumbling and clanking, and a previously invisible crack widened into a dark opening. They stepped inside warily.

It was dark, but an adra device which occupied the center of the room was humming, glowing, pulsing with essence; it stretched up to and through the ceiling into the rooms above. Huani gasped.

"That - that's like the machine in the ruins. And one I saw - or dreamed - " She stopped, shivering.

The room was cluttered with wooden tables, bookcases, shelves, boxes whose contents had been scattered, and several rough beds stained with some dark substance. Like the ground outside the door, the floor was paved with stone tiles expertly laid in intricate patterns. A spiral stone staircase off to one side led upward.

On the second floor they found tables and chairs carved of stone and inlaid with adra, very different from the wooden furnishings below. The glowing machine pierced the floor and ceiling and there was a strange electricity in the air around it. Huani gave it a wide berth, looking pale and uneasy and staying close to Aloth, who watched her with quiet concern.

One last stairway took them to the top of the tower. It was bordered with stone archways, most of them collapsed, and the adra device rose up in their center; an almost visible cloud of boiling energy gathered around it, whipping into them like a storm. Strange, dark, kith-shaped statues stood around its perimeter, and not far away a human was working at an adra pedestal studded with copper dials. He didn't notice the adventurers until they were twenty feet from him. They could see his spotted skin and smell his stench, but he was clearly not mindless like the ghouls below.  
  
"Shouldn't be here," he snarled, ducking behind the pedestal. "What do you want?"  
  
"Who are you?" Pallegina demanded. He peeped out at her with yellowed, bloodshot eyes.

"Aldhelm. Fifteen years at Brackenbury. Seven tours to the ruins beyond Solace Vale. I was an animancer. _Still_ an animancer."  
  
"And what happened here?"  
  
"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" He smashed his fist into the smooth adra panel. "We came to do research. On the tower. Some commission from... gods, it hardly matters now."

"And?"

"And something happened on our eleventh night. Trindig said he saw a robed figure lurking around the tower. Wore a mask. Carried knives at his sides. A trick of shadows, I told him." The scholar shuddered and pawed at his face. "The next morning, we felt strange. Like we hadn't eaten in weeks. So dazed that we almost didn't notice the blood around our beds, the strange wounds that had appeared overnight. And the machine - this cursed spire! Dormant for two thousand years, lifeless through hundreds of our experiments, and we wake to find _this_! How can we stop what we couldn't start?"

"So it _is_ the machine," Kana said. "But what is it _doing_?"

"Nowhere to go. That's the problem. Their souls are trapped here like flies in a jar. And as the body decays, so does the mind, until nothing is left but the hunger. Only fresh meat can stave it off. Living meat." He looked at them with glittering eyes.

Pallegina stepped forward. "Tell us something useful, monster, or I will cut you into pieces too small even for flies."

He shrank away. "I don't know! Ask that harridan, that cursed, stubborn shrew. The one who squanders her research on frivolities, then refuses to make herself useful. The runes are the last part of the puzzle. If Icantha would give them up, I'm sure I could turn the machine off. Release our souls."

"Where is this woman?"

"She wasn't here the night the machine came on. Staying with her patron in the mansion nearby. Too good to be burdened with our ignorant company."  
  
He quickly degenerated into bitter, incoherent mumbling, but they managed to learn that this patron's mansion was just north of the tower. They set off, striking down more trapped souls as they navigated the deathly silent streets. Aloth, Kana and Huani were beginning to tire. The other three encouraged them as best they could, but Pallegina would not slow their pace.

The home matching Aldhelm's description looked no different from the others at first, but as they approached the ivy-covered walls they noticed that all the windows had been carefully boarded up. The front door, on the other hand, was unlocked. They passed down a short hallway into a sitting room which had been torn in pieces, leaving little more than a mess of overturned furniture, rubbish and cobwebs, but a fire was burning in the fireplace and candles blazed in the darkness.

A human was tending the fire. She had pale, unnatural skin, and when she turned toward them they saw a deep wound in the center of her chest. Pallegina raised a hand to keep the others back.

"It's rude to stare, you know," the woman said. "Don't worry, I've no mind to start anything with you. After all, I've stayed in such good shape by choosing my meals carefully."

"Icantha?" said Kana. "Aldhelm sent us to you."

She growled and looked away. " _Him?_ Bah. A charlatan who liked to dig up pretty artifacts and call himself a scholar. The pity with animancy these days is that just about anyone can claim to be an expert. I can't believe he's had the cleverness to survive."

"He seemed to think highly of your expertise."

"Ha! That simpleton thinks he can understand how to use something without understanding what it is. Or _why_ it is. He dabbles with ancient and powerful devices with all the finesse of a blacksmith." She savagely poked another bit of wood into the fire. "He sends you here to petition me for aid? After years of disparaging my research?"

"We need to understand what happened here. Can you help us?"

"What happened? It's simple enough. The machine contains souls. Holds them in place. Others I've seen, machines scattered all over the Dyrwood, are relays. Built to move souls." She chuckled. "We now see the Engwithans as masters of soul manipulation, but they couldn't have attained their expertise without copious trial and error. Perhaps this was one such experiment."

She looked at Kana with something burning in her sunken eyes. "You see, I read the runes like a journal. I understand their meaning. People like Aldhelm try to read them like instructions, and in so doing, they miss their true meaning completely. The knowledge was hard-won, and it is _mine_."  
  
She turned her back on her visitors and continued tending the fire. Kana met the uncertain glances of the others with a confident wink. He moved forward a step. "I'm a student of Engwithan civilization myself, though more and more I find I'm still quite the amateur. I doubt that the scholarly community will mourn Aldhelm overmuch, but when you return to the Wheel - which, alas, must be all too soon! - what a blow it will be to our field."

She tilted her head toward him slightly. "Nonsense. Here I have specimens aplenty and time enough to observe them all. It's every scientist's dream. I'll accomplish more than any animancer in the history of the field."

He shook his head sadly. "If only it were so, but you must see that our presence here signals the end. We have unwittingly carved a path to the machine for the enemies of progress - the Dozens, the Skaenites, the masses of Defiance Bay - who will clamor for its destruction. And when it goes, where go you? All your accumulated knowledge, so rare, so precious - vanished. Did you have no students? Did you leave no legacy?" He sighed and glanced at the boarded-up windows. "If we could shut down the machine, there _might_ be a chance of preserving it. But is there time? You know Dyrwoodans - no doubt they're gathering as we speak!"

Icantha clutched at her empty chest. "No! We gather and study and through it transcend the thousand insectoid lives that brought it to us. All I've learned - years of deciphering ancient Engwithan - no one could -" She wavered, then bounded to a desk. "Here. My papers, all I've written. And listen - the runes on the tower - quickly, quickly!"

She scrawled several sets of symbols on a page and began teaching him how to sound them out, explaining the significance of each phrase. Huani and Aloth inched closer so they could listen in. After a quarter of an hour Icantha had reached the last set and was beginning to recite them when someone chimed in from behind her. It was Huani, but it was not her voice. The Watcher's eyes were dull and vacant and the words poured out in a low, fluid chant that was beautiful, but without feeling. Everyone stared.

She paused a moment and her eyes refocused. Her shoulders stiffened. She swept the room with a quick, suspicious glance, then paused again, blinking, as her body relaxed into its usual attitude.

"Who _are_ you?" Icantha said, filmy eyes wide.

"I - I'm - " Huani looked at her own dusky hands as if she'd never seen them before. "I'm very confused right now. Kana, there's no need to worry about that last set of runes. I... know them."

"Oh." Kana gave her a long look and turned back to Icantha. "Thank you. I'll see that your papers are kept safe. Others will build on the foundation you've laid. You have your immortality."

They left the house and began making their way back to the tower. Kana shook his head. "The glorious war of scholarly rivalry. It lives on, even between two ghouls in a land of ghosts."

"Are you all right?" Aloth said, putting a hand on Huani's arm. "What happened?"

"I guess someone knows - knew - Engwithan," she said. "And I still remember it. I... gods, this is so strange, but it's _amazing_. Ancient Engwithan! I feel like I've known it all my life!"

Kana stared at her. "And so she surpasses a hundred frustrated scholars in the matter of a few moments. I don't suppose you could look at a few books for me...?"

"Yes, of course. I wonder how permanent this is? Will I start to forget?"

" _Forget?_ " He turned to Pallegina. "There's no time! We must hurry!"

When they climbed the tower they found Aldhelm still standing there, staring at the copper dials, muttering and swaying. The others kept an eye on him while Kana and Huani inspected the pedestal. They made a few quick adjustments. The pulses slowed. The hum of charged air died away. The lights dimmed until the machine was no more than a cold, dark pillar of adra, wound with copper bands.

"Still and silent," Aldhelm muttered. "It's finally over." He slumped to the ground.

Huani took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about this, Kana," she said. She looked toward Edér. "I hear Dyrwoodans have some experience with bombs..."


	13. Mandate of Heaven

The explosion rocked the city, though not as hard as the news that a ragtag bunch of adventurers - or, as Duc Aevar put it in his proclamation, "six brave friends of the Dyrwood" - had reclaimed Heritage Hill. Ambassador Agosti quickly made it clear that he was _not_ happy to hear that Pallegina risked her life without consulting him, but the reputation boost she earned for the Republics mollified him somewhat.

Their new-found fame forced a move from the Goose and Fox to the Charred Barrel in Brackenbury, partly because Aloth practically begged for it, but mostly to avoid uninvited guests invading their rooms at all hours - some of them well-meaning (and rather drunk), some with evil intent. It seemed they had drawn the full attention of the Leaden Key.

That attention wasn't _too_ worrying at first. They were well-prepared, well-protected and seldom far from aid. Then Huani had another "thing that happened" while walking to Dunryd Row one morning. She was brought back to the inn by a passing cipher and a messenger was dispatched to notify her friends. They arrived to find her still dazed, complaining about how her family had abandoned her, seeking reassurance from some person in her soul's half-forgotten past. She was in no condition to fight off assassins. They decided not to let her go out alone from then on.

That night, when Sagani came to Huani's room so they could "read" the figurine together, the Watcher seemed uneasy. When it came time to hand the figurine back she just sat there, turning it over and over in her hands.

"Look, you should know - I'm probably going to keep getting worse. A _lot_ worse. You weren't there when we found Maerwald, but it was... frightening." She held out the adra bear slowly. "You have a family and a mission that are very important to you. If things do get bad, you need to _leave_. You already have a pretty good idea of where to look. Honestly, I'm not sure how much more help I can be, and hanging around with us is only going to get more dangerous."

Sagani took the statue and pocketed it. "Thanks for the warning. I admit, I still don't understand exactly what's happening to you. But I'm not leaving. I'll help you find your man, same as you're doing for me." She reached over gave the Watcher a hug, which was returned gratefully.

"Thank you. Gods, you make me miss my mother. I wonder how she is. Whether she worries about me."

"I wonder the same things. How my husband and children remember me, and whether they think of me often."

They sat and talked about their families until Huani's head started to droop. She slept well that night, in spite of everything.

Moving to Brackenbury soon proved convenient for another reason. After Duc Aevar's public recognition, the palace archives were finally thrown open to them. Searching the voluminous and all-too-often contradictory records of the Saint's War for any mention of Woden Tercyg proved a daunting task, but the three scholars in the group, plus Edér, set to it as best they could. Sagani and Itumaak were still not allowed inside, so after escorting Huani to and from Dunryd Row each morning they spent the day helping Pallegina with embassy business.

One afternoon, as the little group was digging through the dusty shelves, a page came in with a message for Huani. Someone in the palace wanted to meet them. Someone whose name three of them had heard before.

Kolsc, cousin and would-be overthrower of Lord Raedric VII.

They found him in a small sitting room on the western side of the palace. He didn't look much like a revolutionary, just a young man with a green cloak and a faintly aristocratic bearing. They made introductions and he invited them all to take a seat. "Too long has Gilded Vale suffered under Raedric's madness," he said, leaning against the carved mantelpiece. "He would cure Waidwen's Legacy by ensuring there are none alive in the village to be afflicted. I fear his own wife, Ygrid, may be at risk. The man has no mercy in him."

"Must be close to her time," Edér said. "Bet folks in Gilded Vale are feeling a mite uneasy."

"They are indeed. I would have acted sooner, but only now have all the pieces fallen in place. First, Raedric's local support is gone. The soldiers guarding his castle are mercenaries with no real loyalty to him. Second, I have gathered some troops of my own, enough to make a good show of a frontal assault with myself at their head - but only a show, mind you. It should be enough for the plan I have in mind. My third piece is you, Roadwarden, and your friends."

"Why _us_?" Huani said.

"You've already proven yourselves. You've earned support both here and in Gilded Vale. And, as Roadwarden, you have a position of some responsibility in the Dyrwood." He walked over to a table and held up the plans of a large fortress. "My proposal is this - that you enter the sewers, here, make your way to the upper floors by a route I will show you, and kill Raedric. Most of his guards will be manning the walls; the route I have planned should allow you to avoid the rest. I grew up in the Hold and know it well. Once Raedric is dead, his hired soldiers will have no more reason to fight, and we may be able to resolve the matter without further bloodshed."

"Sounds good," Edér said. "Looking forward to having a word with our esteemed lord. Got some suggestions for him."

Kana raised an eyebrow. "The Duc has agreed to this?"

"He's willing to let me try. He's even allowed me to say this. As you may know, the lands west of Caed Nua, once it fell into disrepair, were annexed by my cousin. In exchange for your aid, I will be the first thayn to officially recognize the new owner of Caed Nua, and I will return the lands which were taken from it. As a show of good faith, I've had the agreement drawn up formally." He rang the bell and an archivist entered with an official-looking document. "Here it is. I swear to return the following lands to the one here undersigned Roadwarden of Caed Nua once I become lord of Gilded Vale."

"Sign your full legal name," said the archivist, holding out a quill pen to Huani.

"My _full_ legal name?"

"Of course."

"Oh. If you insist." She signed where indicated. And kept signing. And kept signing. She had to dip the pen back in the inkwell twice. "My father is a poet," she said, handing the pen back with a sheepish grin. "He got a bit... carried away."

"Shall we settle for Lady Huani, then?" said Kolsc.

"Sure. Call me Huani, Watcher, Roadwarden, 'Hey, you!', just never call me late for dinner."

The archivist looked pained.

"I may regret this decision," Kolsc said, but he was smiling.

They tore over to the Vailian embassy to tell the others what had happened. It took some time to convince Ambassador Agosti to allow Pallegina to accompany them, but the chance of earning the gratitude of a powerful local lord swayed him to their side. Kolsc's forces were waiting near Gilded Vale so they all traveled to Caed Nua together, then passed westward over what, to most of them, was familiar territory. The town looked worse than ever, but there was no time for sightseeing; they pushed on swiftly toward Raedric's Hold.

The land grew grayer and grayer as they approached. They made camp a safe distance before the gates; it was late afternoon and the sun was warm, but the massive stone fortress cast a cold shadow towards them, brooding in silence over the stagnant water of its moat.

Kolsc began the attack with cannon and artillery, keeping his troops well out of range of shot from the walls. He did his best to make himself conspicuous in the front lines, hoping it would serve as a further distraction from their true purpose. The group of infiltrators used shadows and a concealment spell to sneak around the edge of the moat until they found the drainage gate under a pair of flying buttresses. They picked their way over to it across some rubble. The iron bars of the grating were rusty and bent; strategic use of a prybar was enough to get them through.

They had to wade through water which was hip-deep and none-too-clean. Once inside, they tidied themselves up as best they could with waterskins and magic before proceeding from the sewers into the dungeons. As they were navigating its narrow corridors they noticed a light off to the left. It was an open doorway. Inside, they saw a black-haired human woman frantically packing things into bags.

"Excuse us," Huani said.

The woman whirled around with a gasp. "Oh! You're - don't kill me! I want no trouble! I'm only trying to leave this place with my skin intact!"

"Who are you?"

"An animancer, the foremost student of Pandgram's Theorems, if I do say so myself. Or did you mean my name? It's Osrya."

"You're trying to escape the fighting?"

"Yes. No. That is, not the fighting _outside_." She glanced at the ceiling nervously. "I intend to get away from Raedric while I have a chance. He's spared me until now for gods know what reasons, but it's all over."

"Over?"

She gave them a strange look. "No, of course you wouldn't know. Lady Raedric gave birth just over an hour ago. A son, but not the kind her husband hoped for." She laughed bitterly.

"Go on with your packing, we won't stop you," said Huani, "but... what were you studying for him?"

"The so-called curse. Of course, it's not a curse at all. It's not some parting gift from the Scattered God or a punishment for petty sins. However, Raedric will never believe that." She shook her head and returned to stuffing things in bags. "It must be a localized effect, something which strips the soul from the body, as the bîaŵacs are known to do. Some months ago I detected lingering traces of essence upon the bodies of so-called Hollowborn, which suggests that the soul itself has not been wholly destroyed. It remains, I think, intact somewhere. And so it can be retrieved - sutured, if you will, back into its mortal flesh. Unfortunately, that conclusion is what interested Raedric in my research."

She shouldered her belongings, now stuffed into various bulging knapsacks. "You must have entered through the drainage gate. I'll use that as my way out and rely on the favor of He Who Sees and Is Not Seen for the rest."

They continued through the dark passages, following Kolsc's directions, until they came upon a flight of stairs. It led to a deserted kitchen on the ground floor of the Hold. From there they crept down a series of silent hallways, the distant noise of battle drifting in to cover the sound of their footsteps. Huani paused and turned from their path, passing into a library, ignoring Pallegina's hissed protest. She walked up to a blank wall on one side of the room and stared at it before searching the bookshelves nearby.

"There's a door here," she whispered. "Hurry! It must open somehow!"

They could hear muffled voices coming from behind the wall. After half a minute of searching, Kana finally found the hidden switch, and as he pressed it they heard a sudden, choked cry and a thud. The wall slid open. A tall human with a pale, gaunt face and hollow eyes whipped around to face them, a bloody dagger in his upraised hand. The blood dripped slowly onto his bright breastplate as he looked at them, unmoving. Then he simply turned and walked through another door, which he closed behind him.

On the floor of the bedroom they now saw a human woman in a loose dressing gown, the carpet around her wet and stained red. They hurried over. "Too late," said Sagani, kneeling beside the body. "She's gone."

"And look there." Pallegina pointed at the bed. A newborn was lying there on a heap of fine linens. It was alive and moving slightly, but made no sound. Huani walked closer and looked at the child in her strange, distant way. "Osrya was right. There's still... something. Lingering essence."

"Poor boy." Sagani came over and did her best to make the baby comfortable.

Aloth had moved to the fireplace and was poking through the ashes. "Look at this," he said, picking out the half-burnt cover of a leather book which bore the symbol of Eothas. "I doubt it belonged to the thayn."

When Sagani was finished, they opened the door that the man had retreated through. It led into the main hall. There was the man they'd seen before, entirely alone, sitting on an impressive throne, the wet dagger resting on one of its wide arms. He watched them enter with cool detachment.

"So," Edér said, "got tired of the tree? Or run out of room? Maybe planned to just hang the boy, since he won't take up much space?"

Raedric's face twitched. "It was a just sentence. Ygrid knew. She hid the verses from me, the tokens. She knew what I would make of them." He looked at the dagger near his hand. "The Scattered God poisoned her against me. Made her deaf to my instruction. Only when our son was born - that hollow thing, that monster, then - then we both knew what her crimes had wrought." A slight tremor crept into his voice. "This I must do to see the curse lifted, and our children restored."

"Yeah? Must've been a good fight, seeing as she was probably weak as a kitten. Maybe you'd like more of a challenge." Edér turned so the lord could see the symbol on his cloak. The man's eyes hardened into a piercing gaze.

"Blasphemer! Is this who Kolsc brings against me? Did we not rid the country of your kind?"

"Sure tried hard enough. Too bad your men went and hung Swithin instead of me."

"That can be rectified." Raedric stood slowly, picking up a sheathed greatsword which leaned against the throne. "By the Twinned God, I will see this land purified of the crawling sycophants of the Dawnstars!"

"Oops," said Huani. "Guess that means I'm next on his list."

"Don't think he'll get that far." Edér drew his own sword with a fiery glint in his eyes. "Just let me handle this."

Raedric had been a warrior of some renown in his day, and passion made up for what time had eroded. Edér found himself hard-pressed at first, though the mocking smile on his lips never wavered. He kept his shield up and goaded the lord into continually pressing his attack. Pallegina muttered and gestured on the sidelines, fighting the battle by proxy, while the others shouted encouragement.

The nobleman's blows began to falter. Edér moved into an offensive of his own, forcing his enemy back step by step, until Raedric missed his footing and left a vulnerable spot exposed a moment too long. With one swift thrust Edér disabled his right arm. Raedric bellowed in rage, dropped his sword and sprang at the farmer as if he intended to tear him apart with his bare hands. Edér sidestepped, used his shield to bludgeon the nobleman to his knees and then severed his head quite neatly.

"Too good for you," he said, wiping off his sword. The others crowded around with congratulations as he caught his breath. "Should get back outside. Stinks worse than the sewers in here."

They took Raedric's son with them, bundled snugly and securely in a blanket. It was almost dark when they reached Kolsc again; he was already marshaling his troops to return to camp. They followed along and, once everyone was settled in for the night, told him the day's events. He listened with grim satisfaction. "The tyrant is dead, and our village is free to move into a greater future. Gilded Vale owes you a great debt. I owe you a great debt - you have helped accomplish what I could not alone."

As predicted, the mercenaries surrendered in the morning and Kolsc took possession of the Hold. After extracting a promise that he would look after his newborn nephew as best he could, the friends of Caed Nua returned to Gilded Vale with the news that Raedric was dead. No one was _quite_ willing to believe it, even Aufra, but the villagers were more than happy to sit around the fire at the Black Hound, drink free ale (courtesy of Huani) and listen to Kana tell the story.

A little after midnight, two dark figures stole out of the inn and made their way to the ruins by the hanging tree. The stairs to the lower level were still clear, and there, at the end of several dark, cold passageways, they found a shrine with rows and rows of white candles. And somehow, after all those years, the candles were still burning brightly. They added two more and knelt to say a prayer for the soul of Ygrid Raedric.

"Though I'm not sure what good it will do," Huani said, watching the shadows dance on the walls. "Praying for a dead woman to a dead god."

"Could be we're out of our minds."

"Oh, there's no doubt about that." She looked over at Edér. "Have you - have you ever wondered what would've happened if you'd _lost_? If Waidwen had done whatever it was he intended to do?"

"Sometimes. A lot of things would be better, I think. The Purges never would've happened. Gilded Vale would be... different. The trees would look better, I know that much. My family might even still be here. Maybe there'd be no Legacy." He chuckled. "You'd have Dyrwoodans lining up to surrender if they'd known what was in store."

"Dyrwoodans? Surrender? Now I _know_ you're crazy." She grinned and stood up. "And I think it's time both of us were in bed."

When they returned to Caed Nua they found it a hive of activity - servants and soldiers had begun moving in as the steward prepared to receive the re-annexed lands, which meant assuming responsibility for collecting taxes, arbitrating disputes and patrolling the roads. Kana was thrilled to learn that there was now enough time and manpower to attempt to open the tunnel to the ruins; Aloth dropped the barrier he'd put in place and work began immediately, though it was clear progress would be slow.

They gathered in the comfort of the library that evening, drinks in hand. Sagani began sticking more pins into her map and watching as a definite pattern started to emerge - Persoq was moving east, possibly following the flood waters as they receded. Talk swirled around her, reflections on the events of the last few days, especially the Hollowborn and their missing souls.

Pallegina shook her head as she sipped a cup of imported tea. "But if it's not the curse of some dead god, then is it an accident? A coincidence? A natural occurrence?"

"Nothing like it has appeared in any records I've ever seen," said Kana, "but does that mean it has never happened, never been recorded, or that the records were erased?"

"My bet's on the last one, with the Leaden Key involved," Sagani muttered from her post by the map. "I wish we could ask them where they're keeping all those souls they stole."

A silence fell on the room. She turned to find the rest of the group staring at her.

"Say that again," said Edér.

She looked confused. "Sorry, I wasn't really listening. Did I say something wrong?"

Huani set her glass of wine on a side table. "Did you mean - you think the Leaden Key caused Waidwen's Legacy?"

"Of course they did! Who else could it be?" She was met with varied looks of astonishment, disbelief and growing realization. "Look. Just look." She pointed at the map on the wall. "I've spent more than a year traveling the Dyrwood, and everywhere I've gone, folks have been talking about how many of their babies were Hollowborn. It gets to be less and less as you go north toward Readceras, or east into Eir Glanfath, or south toward the Republics, but it's not as if you cross the border and they just _stop_. And there are some places where it's not so bad, like Defiance Bay. It's _obviously_ not a curse, it's more like.... a disease. A sickness being put into the air in different places, like the stink from something rotten."

"Sure does sound like the Leaden Key," Edér said. "Stinking and rotten."

Huani got up and walked over to the map, her eyes bright. "The machines. _That's_ what they were doing at the machines."

"Yes!" Sagani pointed to the little features on the map which marked the locations of Engwithan ruins. "Here, here, here - those are the places where it's worst. But here," she pointed to Defiance Bay, "the machine didn't work. Or, at least, it didn't work right."

Pallegina frowned. "But there must be many such ruins in Eir Glanfath, yet the Legacy has barely affected them."

"The Leaden Key would not wish them affected," said Aloth. "They depend on the Glanfathans to drive intruders from the ruins. Their interest lies in keeping the tribes strong. Sagani has hit on the truth, I think. But two questions remain - where are the souls now, and why are they being taken?"

"It all comes back to their motivations," said Kana. "What is it they hope to accomplish? I once dismissed them as madmen, but there is a level of knowledge, organization and purpose here which I never dreamed of. I cannot help but think this goes far beyond a simple hatred of animancy. But if we have one of their former members here, and even he cannot tell us what lies beneath the surface - who can?"


	14. Uninvited Guests

> _Third Battle of Clîaban Rilag_
> 
> _18 Majiverno, 2808_
> 
> _The following additional casualties are reported - all wounded except those reported killed._
> 
> _Known Dyrwoodans fighting for Readceras -_
> 
> _Branek Gwavas, killed._
> 
> _Ruan Marrak, killed._
> 
> _Cam Nancarrow, killed._
> 
> _Woden Teylecg, killed._

 

Edér stared at the page in disbelief. "Readceras. This can't be right."  


"It may not be," said Kana. "Such identifications are often unreliable. We can keep looking." He gestured to the shelves of archived documents surrounding them, some of which, though not many, remained untouched.

"I don't know." Edér closed the book, a thick volume full of army rosters and inventories of the dead. "Clîaban Rilag. Where is that?"

"It's a ruin east of here, not far from a village called Dyrford."

Edér drummed his fingers on the leather cover. "He always had a reason." He looked at Huani, who, along with Aloth, was standing quietly nearby. "Got another favor to ask you..."

After fifteen years, the site of the third battle of Clîaban Rilag was little more than a grassy field half a mile from the Bael River. A cart path ran along the western edge and to the north, above a low line of trees, they could see the now-familiar outline of Engwithan ruins. Fortunately, they were far enough away that there was nothing to fear from protective Glanfathans.

Ambassador Agosti had refused permission for Pallegina to make the journey, his leniency stretched to its limits. The remaining five stood there in the late-spring sunlight and watched the wind gently toss the wild flowers.

"See anything? Anyone?" Edér said. Huani shook her head.

"No. No one's lingering here."

He sighed and ran a hand through his yellow hair. "Would've been too easy. Wish I knew where they buried him. If they even did."

"Anything which has survived the years would likely be below ground, though not very far," said Kana. "But we cannot dig up the entire field."

"Maybe we can search another way. More like they do in Naasitaq. I know you're not an adra figurine, but - " Huani held out her hand to Edér, who took it with a curious look, " - if you would, please, think about your brother. Whatever you can remember."

He closed his eyes and concentrated while Huani gazed across the field. "There's _something_ here," she said. " Edér, keep it up, but follow me. I'll walk slowly."

They started across the battle plain, with Huani half looking, half listening, her head tilted to one side. A stream ran down from the trees toward the river to the east, carving a little channel through the grass, and she stopped on its banks, pointing to a dark object projecting from a mound of watery silt. "Here. It's this. Help me dig it out."

They pushed around the mud and uncovered a piece of metal shaped in a half-circle. It showed the rays of the sun shining from a vorlas plant. Edér's eyes went wide.

"A standard topper. Readceran. They were real serious about those things."

"Your brother must have had a strong connection to it." Huani held it up in the sun and examined it critically. "The imprint is an old one, but we may be able to get more from it. Can I have your hand again?"

He obliged eagerly. "You plan to show me? Like Sagani?"

"I can't. I'm sorry. This is a lot more complicated and I need to focus. I'll describe as much as I can." She closed her eyes. "Woden. Woden Teylecg. I think... yes. There's Gilded Vale. A small house, one room, with a thatched roof and dirt floor. And this is the southern road, toward Defiance Bay. He's traveling to the city. But - no, he stopped. He's turning north instead.

"There's a different city now, a large one, but I don't recognize it. Busy streets. A building - a long room with a throne at the end, and - _him_. It's _him!_   His head's full of light! And... Effigy take it, he said something, but I couldn't understand the words. They were like thunder.

"Now... barracks, I think. And the road again, heading south. Fighting. Fighting. My god and my country and I hope my brother is far, far away." She paused for a long moment. "That's all there is of him, but there's an impression from the standard itself. A young man in Readceran armor with yellow hair. He picked up the standard after the bearer fell and carried it with him. Then he fell, too."  


She opened her eyes. "That's all. All a Watcher and a cipher can give you."

He rubbed his free hand over his eyes before he opened them. " _Why?_ " he said roughly. "Why did he go? What did he hear?"  


"I don't know. I don't know. I'm sorry." She squeezed his hand. Sagani and Kana moved closer to put their own hands on his shoulders.

"The fact that _anything_ was left is a miracle," Aloth said. "At least you did find him, in a way."

"I know. And I knew going in it was a long shot. Might not get any answers." Edér let go of the Watcher's hand, sighing wearily. His eyes were lifeless and dull.  "It's a funny thing. You can tell yourself that a hundred different ways. Makes no difference in the end."

They left the field to its peaceful existence. There was one more errand to run: tracking down Persoq. Sagani's map showed that he had been circling the area. They spent the next two days trying to find the elder, but he proved as elusive as ever, his figurine refusing to do much beyond flicker erratically. Kana theorized that it was due to active Engwithan machinery nearby, but in the end they had to return, empty handed and discouraged, to Defiance Bay.

Pallegina joined them in their private sitting room at the Charred Barrel to hear what had happened and discuss what they should do next. She already had an idea on that front. "We must find the man in the cell," she said. "While you were away I obtained permission to search the dungeons of the palace and Crucible Keep, but, unfortunately, I found no trace of him."

"What about other places? Are there a lot of prisons in the Dyrwood?" Sagani said.

Edér counted off on his fingers. "Crucible Knights. Duc. Erls - seven of 'em. Thayns - lot more. That makes... quite a few."

"Need this prison be in the Dyrwood?" said Kana. "What of Eir Glanfath? Or Readceras? Or even the Republics?"

"No," said Huani, "I'm sure it's _here_ , nearby. But no matter how many times I go over the image, I can't come up with anything useful."

"Why not show it to us?" Aloth said.

"I... yes, why not?" Huani held out her right hand, palm down. "Here. Pile on." They stacked their hands on top of hers and she sent the memory into their minds.

"Strange," Pallegina muttered. "It's not quite like a prison. It reminds me of a madhouse I visited once in the Republics. A terrible place."

"A sanitarium?" said Aloth.

"You might call it that. It was nothing like the one you have here. The Republics are second only to the Dyrwood in animancy research, but we do not treat our patients nearly as well as you seem to do."

Huani withdrew her hand and looked at Aloth curiously. "Did we see any patients?"

"No. Not that I remember. And yet we know patients are admitted; they must be kept in a different part of the building."

Kana laughed suddenly, slapping his knees. "Yes! Of course! If you deplore animancers, where better to plant your spy than in their very midst?"

They paid a visit to the Sanitarium next morning. The reception area was a large room, sumptuously furnished, with researchers wandering in and out or studying in quiet corners. Aloth and Huani surprised their friends by walking over to a large statue and addressing it as Head Warden Ethelmoer. Their friends were even more surprised when it greeted them in return.

"It has been some time since your last visit, though I've heard a great deal about your doings in the interim. What brings you back to us?"

"We're looking for someone," said Huani. "Do you know of an organization called the Leaden Key?"

The statue groaned. "Only too well. Many have been their intrusions into our affairs. Of course, one can seldom be certain whether they've meddled or whether calamity has struck on its own, but a few of their less skilled infiltrators have been exposed from time to time. They are a perpetual nuisance."

"We believe you have, or did have very recently, one of their spies among you."

"I see. It would, of course, be last thing we need at the moment. For ninety-four years we have been at the forefront of animancy's resurgence, but after the forge knights - based on our own designs! - inexplicably turned on their masters, Caedman Azo's disastrous experiments, and the horrors of Heritage Hill, we are in a precarious position. There are even some beginning to blame us for the Legacy." The statute let out an airless sigh. "It is the perfect time for our enemies to strike. What information do you have on this intruder?"

"Only an image which I took from the minds of Leaden Key members. I can share it with you, if you'd like."

"Yes, please do so."

Huani moved forward. "I've never done this with a statue, but it should work. I think." She reached out and touched one of the folds of the carved robes. "Can you see it? Does it look familiar?"

There was a short silence. "This is both troubling and perplexing," said Ethelmoer. "That is the North Ward. It is where we keep our most hopeless and most dangerous cases. Access is strictly controlled. I do not understand what use it would be to plant a spy in such a place."

"If he's still there, perhaps we can find out," said Huani. "I'm both a cipher and a Watcher - I can uncover many secrets."

"Very well. As long as you inform me of your findings, I will allow you to investigate. There are stairs near the back of this building which lead down to our... residential facilities. Ask the attendants there for directions to the Ward. I will tell the guards to let you in. But please, be discrete."

The lower floor of the Sanitarium looked like it belonged to an entirely different building. The walls and floor were of rough gray stone, only half-illuminated by flickering torches, and the wooden furniture was old, worn and cheaply made. In the cells lining the passageways stood kith wearing ragged clothes and muttering darkly to themselves. Down the dim corridors passed pale attendants, armed guards and an occasional creaking animat built from discarded armor.

One of the attendants offered to show them to their destination. He led them through a few doors and into a common area which evidently doubled as the dining hall. Most of its inhabitants ignored them, but one, a Pale elf with a curved spine and greasy hair draped over her eyes, wished them a polite "Good morning." Huani stopped.

"Good morning," she said. "You seem a little out of place here."

"That's my problem," said the elf with a half-smile. "I'm out of place everywhere. I'm sure I'll be as mad as the others eventually."

"But not soon, I hope. It's nice to see a friendly face. I should introduce myself - my name is Huani."

"I'm Freyol. And it's nice to have someone new to talk to."

"Well, then, If you wouldn't mind telling me, why are you here?"

Freyol gave a short laugh. "Where should I begin? I lost my husband and both sons in the war. I lost my daughter to the Legacy before she was even mine. Everyone in the Gift had a story like that; I suppose we moved near the sea because we hoped Ondra would help us forget. I got by as a seamstress until I Awakened."

Aloth and Huani looked at her with renewed interest. "You're Awakened?" Huani said.

"Yes. Can you believe I used to be a noblewoman? Living a life of luxury? I was pampered, worshipped. I only had to name a thing and it was mine." She glanced down at her tattered robe. "Eventually I couldn't stand my little house and my poor things anymore and... well, I checked myself in here."

"And, of course, they've been unable to cure you," said Aloth.

"They did try. One of the Vailians studied me for weeks. She said a lot of things I didn't understand - humors and bile and something about my liver - but in the end, there was nothing she could do."

Huani looked at her closely. "This is probably going to sound a little strange, but... may I try?"

"Are you an animancer?"

"No. I'm a Watcher."

Freyol's eyes widened. "A soul-seer? Can you help me?"

"I'd like to. Just - how did Bellasege do it? - here, sit down." They moved to one of the wooden tables. "Close your eyes and tell me about the day you Awakened. Start at the beginning."

"It was a day like any other day. I had some breakfast and walked on the pier until it was light enough to work. I was taking in something - a coachman's uniform, I think - when I heard someone walk up outside. A maidservant. She'd brought me work from her mistress before. This time it was a gown, a blue gown. There was something about that shade of blue. It was very strange. I'd never seen it before. I used to have one.... just like it... " The elf's voice slowly faded away.

Huani leaned forward, her white eyes and moonlit hair shimmering in the dimness. "My lady?" she said. "May I speak with you?"

Freyol's hunched shoulders straightened. She opened her eyes and tossed her mop of hair aside with a flick of the wrist. "Who is it? What do you want?"

"Your servant, my lady. I've been sent to convey you to a place more worthy of your ladyship."

The woman glanced around and made a noise of disgust. "At last. I've been here far too long."

"Yes, my lady. Are you prepared to go?"

"Certainly. Is it far?"

"Yes, but the carriage is roomy and very comfortable. You'll have no trouble going to sleep." Huani raised a hand and a breath of wind stirred through the souls of the people in the room.

Freyol's eyelids began to droop. "Mmm. Someone _competent_. It's so hard to find good help these days."

She nodded once, twice, and was still. Her shoulders slumped forward. After a moment, her eyes fluttered open and she looked at the curious faces around her. And started laughing. She laughed and laughed until all the nearby attendants hurried over, looking concerned. She waved them back. "I'm all right!" she gasped. "I'm all right!"

"It worked?" Aloth said, astounded. "You've forgotten?"

She looked over at him, wiping her eyes. "Forgotten? No! No, I haven't forgotten, but it doesn't matter any more. It's like it all happened to someone else. It doesn't matter!" She went off into peals of laughter again. "Gods, what a funny world this is! And what am I going to do in it now, I wonder?"

"If you're interested, I have a little place called Caed Nua that could use a good seamstress. A dozen of them, probably. Just tell the steward I sent you."

They left her still giggling in her little circle of attendants and continued to the North Ward.

It was not an amusing place.

There were two guards and an animat stationed by the heavy wooden door; its hinges creaked dismally as it opened to let them through. Inside they found twelve dingy cells arranged in the shape of a T. Most of the group walked slowly down the long aisle, checking the four cells on each side, but Pallegina moved ahead to the cross passage. She stopped at the first cell on the right and turned to beckon the group over.

Inside was a willowy adolescent, his glassy eyes staring straight ahead. It seemed to be the figure Huani had shown them, but there was no spark of intelligence in those eyes. He didn't even look their way.

"Are we too late?" Sagani said.

"I don't know," said Huani. "Let me see..."

There was silence as she examined the boy through the barred opening. Suddenly she cried out and jerked away; at the same instant the boy dropped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Huani hit the wall behind her and toppled over, but before they could help her up there was a deafening noise from the end of the passage. The animat stationed outside had flattened the door and was charging toward them, sword raised.

Pallegina and Edér stepped forward immediately. He knocked the blade aside with his shield; she shoulder-checked the animat to the ground. They set upon it before it could get up, hewing the armor apart at the joints.

"What happened to the guards?" said Kana. "Did it kill them?"

"Wait!" said Huani, sitting bolt upright. "Where is Thaos?"

"Thaos? Him?" Kana pointed to the boy in the cell.

"No, you fool! Thaos ix Arkannon!" She looked around wildly. "Which way did he turn? Follow him!" She stood and bolted down the hallway before they could stop her.

In the passage outside another animat was on the rampage. One of the guards had been trampled underfoot; the other was desperately trying to avoid the blows raining down on his head. Huani's whip cracked. The animat stumbled, tilting sideways, its leg caught tight in braided leather coils, and then fell with a crash.

The guard fled. The animat still struggled on the ground, but Pallegina and Edér ran up to turn it into scrap. Huani just stood there, staring.

"Where did you learn that?" Pallagina said, turning toward her.

"I - what?" Huani blinked a few times and frowned. "What happened? Weren't we - ? Oh!" She whirled around, looking back toward the North Ward. "That man! It was him!"

"Him?"

"The one who Awakened me! In the ruins, the strange mask - the one I remembered!"

"That boy?" said Sagani.

"No, no, no. He was _in_ the boy. He can move his soul between vessels! I saw it! He jumped into the animat! And... and I think Ethelmoer is going to kill us. I don't know how, but he'll kill us."

They retraced their steps, helping the guards put down more rogue animats along the way. They found the top floor in chaos. Pushing through crowds of curious researchers and panicked attendants, they reached the statue and attempted to explain that it _really_ wasn't their fault. Ethelmoer believed them. Eventually.

More than once he asked Huani to repeat her account of the infiltrator's soul transference. He didn't seem skeptical; in fact, his voice held something like awe. "I have read... accounts... of people in history who could do what you describe," he said, after hearing the story for the third time. "The accounts are few and brief and never reliable. Some go so far as to suggest that they are all the same person."

"They may be on to something," said Huani. "If what I remember is correct, it seems he's lived many years, many lives. And he could be anywhere. Or anyone."

"And if it was his goal to destroy this institution, he may have succeeded," said Ethelmoer grimly. "Perhaps I should feel flattered to have merited so much of his time and attention."

They left Ethelmoer to restore order as best he could. Pallegina charged off to report to her embassy; the others returned to the Charred Barrel. Afternoon was swiftly turning into evening when Aloth knocked on the door of Huani's room.

"Can we try again?" he said.

"Again?"

"To get rid of Iselmyr. It seems you've discovered the technique."

"That's true - maybe I'm getting the hang of this Watcher thing. Sit down."

They took chairs opposite each other and Huani began to concentrate, but the hopeful look on her face slowly faded. "Aloth, I can't see you."

"What?"

"Freyol was clear. I could see the different sides of her soul. You're still as dark as you were three months ago."

"But - how?"

"I'm sorry. You've put up too many barriers."

"Barriers? Iselmyr's doing, no doubt."

"She's not in control right now. It's you. You don't want to let me in."

"But I _do!_ I want to be free of her!" Even as he said it, a shadow of doubt crossed his face. He fell silent.

"It's understandable. She's been with you since you were a child."

"But I am _not_ a _child_ now. I'm sixty-two years old. I want - " He cut himself short and stood up with a look of frustration. "Am I so incapable of fending for myself?"

She rose and fixed him with a level gaze. "If you don't try, you'll never know." His eyes slid away from her.

"But if I try, and I fail - what then?"

"Then it's good to have friends." She put a gentle hand on his arm and his eyes met hers again. They stood looking at each other for a short eternity.

"I want to be comfortable in my own skin. That's difficult when you're sharing it with someone else."

"Yes. I know what you mean."

He gave her a half-smile, then sat back down in the chair. "Could we try once more?"

"Of course." She took her own seat and gave him a searching glance. "Yes. Thank you. Now, please, close your eyes and tell me about the day you Awakened. Start from the beginning."

He took a deep breath. "It was my fifth year of training. I had a brief holiday from school. I did poorly the last quarter, by Father's standards, but I didn't have to worry. Mother was home. I could let my guard down.

"After breakfast I started the household chores. I could hear the clink of bottles from Father's study. His cursing got louder. He was angry with me... and with himself. I heard him coming down the hall toward the kitchen. I don't know where Mother is. I can't get away. He catches me on the head and I fall. I try to curl up but he... keeps kicking... "

His voice died away. Huani held out a hand and passed it slowly through the air, as if she was drawing back a curtain.

Aloth's eyes opened and he gave her a crooked smile. "Ah brak his faither's airm in three places. The cheil left us aloyn efter that."

"I'd imagine so. Hello, Iselmyr."

"Hullo, lass. Seems ye've sorted us."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Aye, sure enaw. Don't ye want tae ask anythin' afair Ah gang? Loch if the lad fancies ye ur nae?"

"No! No, thank you, I'd prefer it if he told me himself."

"As ye say. Don't ken whit ye see in him, but Ah hear the whieest ones ur aye de'ils in scratcher!" This was followed by a cackle of laughter. Huani did _not_ look amused.

"If - if that means what I think it means, it's neither true nor - " She stopped and sighed. "Never mind. Thank you for protecting him. I hope you have pleasant dreams."

"Same tae ye, lass. Ye've lacked 'em lang enaw."

The mischievous light faded from his eyes. They closed slowly. When they opened again, Aloth looked around the room in wonder.

"She's gone," he said.

"Yes. She knew it was time."

"Did she? You spoke with her, then?"

Huani's face turned various shades of purple. "Yes." She got up and started moving toward the door.

"Wait! What did she say?"

"Nothing. That is, nothing personal. That is, she wanted - we -  er - we're late for dinner!" And she was gone.


	15. The Weight of History

Two days after the Sanitarium disaster, Duc Aevar announced that a hearing would be held in three weeks' time to determine the fate of animancy in the Dyrwood, at which Huani and her friends were asked to testify. They decided to spend those weeks at Caed Nua - word had arrived that the tunnel to the ruins was clear and Kana was eager to start exploring. Debris and insects still filled the lower levels of the warrens surrounding the central statue, but more progress was made each day and Kana was right there to see it.

Huani often went into the tunnels with him, partly out of scholarly curiosity, partly to help translate, partly to escape her ever-increasing duties as Roadwarden, which had begun to take their toll on her. When she started coming down to breakfast with dark circles under her eyes, Aloth had a quiet talk with the others. Soon the Watcher's burdens were eased considerably - Edér and Sagani, along with Pallegina, when the ambassador allowed her to visit, set about training and disciplining the new guards, Kana put himself in charge of the digging crew and Aloth saw to the domestic staff, including Freyol, who had arrived wearing makeshift traveling clothes and a cheerful smile.

Evenings at Caed Nua settled into a comfortable routine. They all gathered in the library; Huani and Kana sat together at a large table going over their findings; Aloth joined them for a while to see their latest discoveries, then retired to read on a sofa nearby; Sagani sat by the fire, Itumaak at her feet, carving bits of wood into fantastic shapes and talking with Edér, who lounged in a comfortable chair and smoked his favorite pipe; Pallegina, when she was with them, wandered the room, trading stories with Edér or Sagani, watching the translation work, taking down an occasional book to read, never settling in one place for long, restless but content.

When the excavations started Kana was more excited than they'd ever seen him. But the deeper they went, the more disillusioned he became. The statue beneath the hill was a marvel - beautiful, intricately detailed, carved by ancient masters from a vein of living adra, and so massive that, if placed at ground level beside Caed Nua, it would have towered above the walls of the central keep. Around it, however, they found increasing evidence that atrocities had been committed during its construction. Pain, death and madness underlay each feature of the behemoth, and the writings left behind did little to explain why.

Finally, more than two weeks after the excavation started, they reached the bottom. Kana and Huani returned from the depths that evening with eyes full of wonder and weariness.

"So, funny thing - the ruins _were_ haunted," said Huani as they joined the others in the library. "By an Engwithan king named Od Nua."

"After 2,000 years?" said Aloth. "Incredible."

Kana sat down heavily in a chair. "And it was all for his son. All of it. His dead son."

"He wasn't terribly sane after all those years alone," said Huani, sitting on the sofa beside Aloth. "If he'd ever _been_ sane, that is. It seems he wanted to bring his son back from the Beyond _by force_ , no matter what the cost. He and his people spent years researching where souls go after death, fueling their research with the souls of other people's children. That statue was carved in his son's image - meant to be a vessel for the soul once it was retrieved. But he never finished. I suppose he'd finally gone too far, because he was killed in some kind of uprising."

"And even that was not the end!" said Kana. "He lingered for century after century, refusing to return to the Cycle. We managed to convince him there was no other way to be reunited with his son." The scholar sighed bitterly. "Is this why I left my home? My family? I hoped to bring back new knowledge of the wise and noble Engwithans, but it seems they were neither. All I've found are monstrous machines and bloody monuments."

"I don't know how it is in Rauatai, but if you were from Mossuk, you'd be a hero," said Sagani. "History that was lost has been found. Good, bad, it doesn't matter - we remember the past so we know what to do _and_ what not to do. So we don't keep making the same mistakes."

"And there is still inspiration to be found here," said Pallegina. "You traveled to a far-off land, braved many dangers and emerged triumphant. That is no small thing."

"Bet the folks in that lore college of yours will turn green with envy when they hear it," said Edér. "Or greener. Or - blue? You know what I'm getting at."

Kana smiled slowly. "All true. Not the truth I was hoping for, but better than baseless assumptions or blind ignorance." He got up and walked over to the table cluttered with their notes. "Come, Huani. Let us write the ending of this tale."

Next morning, with a day left until the hearing, they returned to Defiance Bay. One of the largest rooms in the palace had been set aside for it and arranged to resemble a court of law. A gallery full of benches for witnesses and spectators was separated by a low bar from two tables facing each other across the aisle. At the tables the various representatives were seated. It was a motley crew - animancers in robes, nobles decked out in the latest fashions, and citizens' representatives wearing whatever they had on hand. Guards were stationed at the swinging gate in the bar and beside the double doors at the back of the gallery.

Duc Aevar Wolf-Grin's throne was placed beyond the tables so he could command a view of the room. He was a wild-looking man with a scraggly beard, but his lineage was the highest in the room and he wore the fine robes of his office with perfect ease.

As the Caed Nua group settled into their seats, Pallegina gave the animancers' lead representative a slightly annoyed look. "That is Ramir di Barrasc, from Palminia," she said in a low voice to the others. "We keep losing our top minds to the Dyrwood."

"That may not be a problem much longer," said Huani.

"No. But I think there will be more serious problems in its stead, though the ambassador disagrees." Pallegina frowned. "That man fears the Ducs more than he values the safety of the Republics."

The hearing got off to a rocky start - several would-be troublemakers had to be removed by the guards - but eventually the representatives were able to make opening statements and the various witnesses began to be called. The friends of Caed Nua were on edge, expecting interference from the Leaden Key at any moment, but the hours wore on with no sign of them. It was early afternoon when Huani was summoned to testify.

When she told them the story behind Heritage Hill, a murmur ran through the crowd.

When she told them of Engwithan machinery stealing souls, there was a brief uproar.

When she told them the true cause of the Sanitarium disaster, there was near pandemonium. It took several minutes for the guards to restore order. Once things grew quiet again, Duc Aevar fixed his eyes on Huani.

"Are you trying to frighten us with children's tales? Do you expect us believe all this nonsense simply on your word?"

"No, your Grace. I have witnesses here from the Republics, Rauatai, Aedyr, Naasitaq and the Dyrwood itself. They can tell you even more than I have." She turned toward the opposition table. "Please consider what I've said. Whoever the Leaden Key may be, they are _not_ friends of the Dyrwood. They seem to be responsible for every disaster which has befallen you in the last fifteen years." She looked back at the Duc. "Do not let them decide your future, or you may not have one."

He scratched his beard. "You and your companions have done a great deal for us, Roadwarden. If you tell me there are bogeymen under my bed, I will, at least, check beneath it before I turn out the light. Go back to your seat." He turned and addressed the room as she obeyed. "It seems there's more going on here than I once thought. I'd like to investigate these allegations; we can postpone the hearing until - "

Huani had just passed through the swinging door in the bar when she stopped. She spun quickly, her eyes tracking something as it darted past her down the aisle. "He's here!" she shouted, interrupting the Duc. "He's _there_!" She pointed to Barrasc. He was rising slowly from his seat. "Stop him! _Stop him!_ "

There was mass confusion. Huani's friends leapt forward at once, the guards following half-heartedly. Barrasc drew a dagger and made for the Duc. If Aevar Wolf-Grin had been a pampered son of his noble house, things might have gone very differently, but he was an ex-trapper who'd grown up in the wilds. His reflexes were still sound. He dodged the would-be assassin long enough for the Caed Nua group to arrive; Barrasc went down quickly, without even a struggle. As he was passed into the custody of the guards he looked sick and dazed.

Through the shouts of the excited spectators came a voice to the companions of the Roadwarden. It sounded in their minds rather than their ears, quick and exultant.

_Twin Elms! Twin Elms! Twin El-_

A vision flashed behind their eyes. An elven woman, burned and bloody, lying on a rack beside a black pit. Figures in robes and masks lined its edges, and one, taller than the rest, wore a strange, winged crown.

The vision cleared and they realized suddenly that the Watcher wasn't with them. Pushing through the crowd, they rushed out the double doors at the back of the room. Panicked people filled the halls. Sagani caught sight of a young man cowering by a bench not far away; he looked up with frightened eyes as they approached. There, on the ground beside him, was Huani.

Pallegina gave the man a furious look, but she held her peace and let Kana ask the questions. "Please," he said, kneeling down to eye level, "we need your help. Can you tell us what happened to our friend?"

The guard's voice was little more than a whisper. "The old man. The old man on the bench."

"Yes? What is it he did?"

"He fell asleep. I thought he'd wake up when all the noise started, but he didn't. Then she came out and - and touched his shoulder. He still didn't wake up. She... watched him. And then he did wake up. His eyes... his eyes were terrible... "

Huani lay still. Her eyes were open, but there was a cold, suspicious look in them, and she said nothing when they called her name. Aloth finally tried a different approach.

"Who are you?" he said.

Her eyes flicked toward him. "My name belongs to the gods and my hand to their service," she said. "As you well know, _traitor_. I've dealt with your kind before. Do not test my mercy." She turned away and her eyes closed; after a few moments, she appeared to fall asleep.

They carried her back to the Charred Barrel and put her to bed. They took turns checking on her the rest of that day and through the night; sometimes she was asleep, sometimes awake, sometimes herself and insistent that they leave for Eir Glanfath, quickly, sometimes the stranger, quiet, baleful and secretive.

A few hours before dawn, when his turn came again, Aloth found the Watcher sitting up in bed with the blankets bunched around her. She gave him a weak smile as he came in.

"How are you?" he asked, taking the chair which had been pulled near the bedside.

"I don't know. Was it this bad when Iselmyr first showed up?"

"No. It was never as bad as this."

"And you lived with her for how long?"

"Fifty years, more or less."

She groaned. "I can feel... _her_... on the edges of my mind. I'm afraid to sleep. What am I going to do?"

He moved to sit on the bed, facing her, and put his arms around her shoulders. She leaned in to rest her forehead against the base of his neck.

"Does this help?" he said.

"Yes. It's so nice not to be alone. Not that I'm ever alone, lately, but with you I'm less alone than with anyone else. Or... more. Or... I don't think I'm making any sense."

"I _am_ different from the others, then."

She laughed a little. "You definitely are."

"No, I meant... to you."

"Oh. _Oh._ I... yes. I'm not sure how it happened, or why, or - or anything, really. But yes. Is it... a problem?"

"No, not necessarily, but -" He sighed and brushed a hand lightly up and down her arm. "When Iselmyr shared my mind, I made it a point to ignore such things. It was easier. Simpler. Minimized potential embarrassment. Now I have more options and less certainty." He moved his head to look down into her eyes. "For the moment, I'd prefer to leave things as they are. I'll let you know if that changes."

"Fair enough. At least it's all out in the open now. That's quite a relief."

"I suspected it might be. Try to sleep, if you can."

"All right. I'll try."


	16. The Long Hunt

The group set out next morning for Twin Elms, a Glanfathan city about two days' ride east of Defiance Bay. Not even Huani was sure what Thaos intended to do once he got there, but he seemed to be in a hurry.

Pallegina wasn't with them. Ambassador Agosti had refused to let her pursue the Leaden Key matter any further. But when they were within two hours of Dyrford, where they planned to put up for the night, they heard a horse riding hard up the road behind them. It came around the bend and they recognized it at once - Pallegina's chestnut charger, with the paladin herself sitting tall in the saddle. They welcomed her gladly.  
  
"The ambassador changed his mind, then?" said Kana. "I didn't realize you could be so persuasive."  
  
"He did not," said Pallegina, letting her tired mount slow to an easy pace. "But in the end, my duty is neither to him nor to the Ducs. I serve the Republics."  
  
Her friends looked at her worriedly. "Disobeying orders?" said Edér. "What'll they do? Take you out and shoot you?"  
  
"Nothing so dramatic. I'm sure Agosti will recommend that I be removed from the Brotherhood. Let him. My duty is clear. If Thaos succeeds here, where will he turn his attention next, if not to the Republics? We would be the last bastion of animancy research. His agents may already be at work among us." She cast a narrow glance at Aloth, who met her eyes steadily. "I will not let this chance pass me by. When a snake threatens your children, you cut off its head. You do not wait for it to strike."

They passed the night at the Dracogen Inn and continued the next day. It was a short ride to the Bael River; once across it, they had officially entered Eir Glanfath. As they moved further and further from the center of the Dyrwood, Sagani's figurine grew brighter. And brighter. By their midday meal it was shining more brightly than they'd ever seen. Sagani had spent the morning staring at it in blank disbelief; while they were stopped to eat beside the road, she brought it over to where Huani sat, half-asleep, picking at her food.  
  
"Look, I know how much you want to find Thaos, but... but _please_." She held out the figurine and Huani took it with a smile.  
  
"Of course. Just... oh, wait. That's odd." She turned to look off into the forest to the north. "He's there. That way." She pointed toward the hills. "And I think we need to hurry."  
  
They rode off through woodlands and light brush. The figurine still blazed with light, but Persoq seemed to be moving quickly and they often had to adjust their course. After an hour or so they heard a commotion up ahead - shouts and scuffling - and made toward it.

They emerged from the trees into a small meadow. A Glanfathan hunting party made up of humans and elves stepped from the woods on the opposite side of the clearing at almost the same time. Between the two groups, in the middle of the open ground, lay a large, milk-white stag. There was blood pouring from a gash in its side and it was struggling unsuccessfully to rise.  
  
"What do you want here, estramorwn?" shouted one of the hunters. "Come to steal our kill?"  
  
Sagani held up the figurine, still burning with cool fire. She looked at Huani. "Is it one of them?"

The Watcher shook her head and simply pointed at the stag.

"Aurochs' shadow," Sagani whispered.

" _Hurry_ ," said Pallegina. "You have no time."  
  
"We make no claim to your quarry," Kana shouted as Sagani dismounted. "We only want to speak to it."  
  
"Speak to it?" said the Glanfathan spokesman. "Are you mad?"  
  
They ignored him. Edér took charge of Sagani's horse as she rushed forward to kneel by the dying animal, Itumaak at her side. It stopped struggling and looked up at her with strangely intelligent eyes. She began speaking to it in a language no one else understood, the words pouring out and tumbling over each other in her haste.

The rest of her group dismounted too, looping their horses' reins around the branches of nearby trees - all except Pallegina, that is, who kept firmly on the back of her charger and an equally firm eye on the group of Glanfathans. The two sides moved forward to form half-circles some distance apart, facing each other across the body of the stag.

It wasn't long before the beast's eyes closed. Its heaving flanks gradually grew still. Sagani took a deep breath.  
  
"Now," said the Glanfathan leader, "if you're done making a fool of yourself, the Fangs of Galawain don't tolerate outsiders crowding in on our hunting grounds."  
  
Sagani sprang up, eyes blazing. "Have you no respect? A great soul inhabited this body."  
  
"And it's gone now. What's left is our kill," the leader said. Some of his companions laid hands on their weapons.  
  
"No, no, no," Huani murmured. "Not again. Not again." No one heard her.  
  
"I should've expected as much from people who revere stones and long-dead adra." Sagani put her hand to her bow and Itumaak growled.

" _No_ ," whispered Huani.

"She slanders the Builders!"

Weapons flashed out on both sides, bright and cold in the summer sunlight and -  
  
_**NO!**_  
  
The word crashed like thunder into their minds. For a moment they saw wagons around a campfire, mutilated bodies, the gleam of a wet knife at someone's throat. Then the Glanfathans fled into the woods, screaming. Most of them. Two dropped to the ground as if struck by lightning.  
  
"We need to leave before the bîaŵac comes," Huani said, staring off into the past. "Get to the ruins."  
  
Pallegina sheathed her blade. "Yes, we _should_ leave, and quickly. We can still make Twin Elms by nightfall."

Sagani bowed respectfully to the body of the stag and they set off. Huani was half-asleep again; Aloth had to take her horse's reins to make sure it kept pace with the rest.

Thanks to Sagani's woodcraft and Pallegina's iron-willed determination, they reached the gates at sunset. The guards seemed to be on edge, but, after a brief interrogation, the outsiders were admitted, with clear instructions not to stray beyond the marketplace and the inn. Inside the tall palisades they found a city of grass-thatched wooden buildings interspersed with bits of crumbling Engwithan stonework. Armed guards patrolled the streets, semi-tame stelgaer at their sides. The inn, the Celestial Sapling, was built around the trunk of a gigantic tree; the common room was set on a platform supported by the spreading branches of the giant and could be reached only by rope ladders or by being hauled up in a basket courtesy of an ogre employed for that very purpose.  
  
Most of the group went to bed early, but Edér and Kana spent the evening swapping local news with traders and travelers in the common room. They soon learned that an outsider had arrived only a day ago and pushed into the off-limits area in spite of all attempts to stop him. If the newcomers hoped to follow, they'd need permission from one of the anamfatha, the tribal leaders who formed a governing council, but they were told that permission was usually difficult to obtain and, in light of recent events, might be nearly impossible.  
  
The council met in the Passage of the Six. It was a long building, grass-thatched and wooden like the rest, but with touches of Engwithan architecture throughout. A long aisle led to a round chamber at the opposite end from the entrance. Here the anamfatha met in council, though when the outsiders came to visit the morning after their arrival, they found only one anamfath present, a middle-aged orlan woman who looked at them with deep suspicion.

"I am Anamenfath Bethwl, leader of the Guided Compass tribe. Your timing is poor, estramorwn. One of your kind has already passed through and we are not likely to allow another."

"Our timing is not a coincidence, reverend anamfath," said Kana. "We're hunting someone. It's very likely the same man who brought such trouble upon you. We've chased him from the Dyrwood, where he also left chaos in his wake."

She snorted. "He is beyond your strength and your reach. Our warriors could not touch him; they were slain or fell back in fear. He broke the defenses of the Elms and passed into the sacred places, desecrating them, pulling the stones down behind him as he went."  
  
"Do you not wish to see this man brought to justice for what he has done?"  
  
"Of course, but our hands are tied. We cannot follow him - it is forbidden to us, as to all, by the will of the gods and the Builders. And were it _not_ forbidden, he has destroyed the only path by which we might follow."  
  
Pallegina stirred. "We cannot wait. If he is pressed for time, so are we."  
  
"Can I ask something?" said Sagani. "If no one is allowed into these sacred places, how do you know there's no other way to follow him?"

Bethwl hesitated. "That... is true. The delemgan sisters might know of one. But as I said, we are forbidden to trespass by our oath to the Builders."

"And what about us?" said Huani.

The orlan looked at them long and thoughtfully. "I will allow this much. Speak to the sisters, Sîdha and Rîhenwn. If they know of a different way, and give you leave to use it, then we will not stop you. Seek them in Elms' Reach. I will give you a token of passage."

As they passed into the forbidden districts of the city, the city itself seemed to melt away. The low, grass-covered buildings became part of the green landscape, and trees, brush and wildflowers grew up freely between them. Small groups of Glanfathans watched them pass with narrowed eyes, but didn't try to stop them.

Eventually they came to a wide stream. Over it passed a slim, elegant bridge, carved from stone into the likeness of spreading tree roots. On the far side were the twin elms which gave the city its name - two ancient giants, their branches spreading up and out in all directions, draped in light clouds of green leaves. Nestled between the trunks was a round stone tower; though little could be seen of it behind the branches and the clinging vines, it was clearly Engwithan.

As they approached the trees, two figures stepped out from the shadows around the trunks to meet them. They were elf-shaped, but their bodies were formed from bark, roots and blossoms.

"Turn around, flesh-creature," said one. "Outsiders are not permitted to approach the Elms."

The other peered at Huani more closely. "Do you not feel it, sister? Something... familiar. An ancient soul, like the other one."

"And a Watcher, like the other one. Another defiler, no doubt. Let us fell her and be troubled no more. It would pay the debt of her predecessor."

Huani stepped forward. "Hold on. Before you, uh, fell me, we're trying to stop the man you spoke of from doing... whatever it is he's up to. Can you help us?"

"You see? This one has different motives, different questions." The delemgan nodded to Huani. "I am Sîdha, Old One, and this is my sister Rîhenwn. Come closer to us."

Huani moved forward a little more and looked into the eyes of the sisters, which were ringed like the boles of their trees. "You are linked to him," said Sîdha. "There is something unresolved between you two."

"Yes," said Huani. "Though I'm not sure what it is. My... traveling companion isn't very forthcoming."

Rîhenwn laughed softly. "You are Awakened. An ancient enemy, perhaps, who has found his trail again. Marvelous."

"Souls have a will all their own," said Sîdha. "You may have wandered into his path many times, in many lifetimes, without an Awakening to show you why. I am surprised you have not already come to us. There is something about this place that reaches beyond our understanding, something like a beacon. The Elms have a way of uniting souls that have been seeking one another, with or without their owners' awareness."

"Has the man you saw been here before?"

"He has. His soul is familiar, though at times it hides behind a stolen face. Never before has he caused such destruction."

"It seems Thaos has grown desperate," Huani said.

"Is that his name?"

"Yes. Thaos ix Arkannon. Do you know where he's gone?"

"To the buried city, Sun in Shadow," said Rîhenwn. "He opened a secret path in the base of the tower and collapsed it behind him. May the gods curse his soul."

"Is there no way to follow him?"

The sisters looked at each other. "There is only one way," said Sîdha. "Breith Eaman, the Court of the Penitents, which lies beneath Burial Isle. It was a place for the trial of heretics. Only the gods may grant you safe passage there."

"The gods? How would we - I mean, where - ?"

"Here." Sîdha turned to the tower behind her. "This is Teir Evron, the Hall of Stars, said to pierce the Shroud itself and a place of communion with all gods. Seek its pinnacle and pray for aid."

Huani shook her head. "Fine time for my god to be dead. But we'll see what can be done."

They entered Teir Evron and climbed its spiral staircases until they reached the topmost room, a place of carved stone and lighted crystal, and though it had been day when they stepped inside the tower, the windows around them showed a night sky full of stars. Near the center of the room were ten altars arranged in a circle. The signs of the gods were upon them.

Edér cast a quick look around and laughed. "Got an altar to Woedica, but not Eothas. Figures."

They entered the central ring. The altars began to glow with silver fire, all but Woedica's, which remained dark. Night fell. Stars appeared around them and beneath them and formed into bright constellations above their heads.

Then came the gods. Huani bowed and addressed them by their titles.

A colossal aurochs, its shaggy white hair matted with frost. Rymrgand, the Beast of Winter.

A pale knight, tall and gaunt, her armor as black as death. Berath, the Twinned God.

A giant man wrapped in furs and grinning at them with long, pointed teeth. Galawain, Lord of the Hunt.

A face which looked at them through a shifting veil formed from hundreds of birds in flight. Hylea, Sky-Mother.

A vision of waves lapping the sea shore. Ondra, the Lady of Lament.

An emaciated man covered in lash marks, his nose and ears carved from his face. Skaen, the Quiet Slave.

A woman in full plate, smelling of smoke and gunpowder. Magran, goddess of War and Fire.

A towering golem made from blackened, pitted metal. Abydon, the Iron Arm.

And finally, a shifting cloud which had no form and a thousand forms. Wael, the Obscured. In the long debate that followed, it said no word.

Kana raised an inquiring eyebrow at Huani as she finished the honors. "I was almost a priest once," she said, shrugging. "You know, before that incident with the bomb."

A melancholy voice rose out of the sound of the waves. "Welcome, travelers. What is it you seek?"

"A man," said Huani. "Thaos ix Arkannon."

"Let them know their foe," said Magran, her voice strong and clear as ringing steel.

"You seek one who has lived his lives on the brink of the cycle," said the Pallid Knight. "He sits on the inside of the wheel, observing its revolutions. With each life, he is plucked from the stream and returned to it intact."

"Yet there is a greater plot at work here, Watcher," hissed Skaen. "Thaos acts not for himself. He is the Burned Queen's quiet slave. A master of secrets and schemes."

The deep, thunderous voice of Rymrgand sounded from the aurochs. "Thaos is a winter gale, unseen by the world even while he carves and shapes it. Woedica directs him, sending him to wipe her enemies from Eora."

"She desires an escape from her own cycle. Power without decline," said the Knight.

"And to collect her evaporating power," said Rymrgand, "rebuilding what the turning ages have stripped from her."

"Thaos has trapped thousands of souls in Sun in Shadow like rabbits in a snare. Now, he goes there to retrieve the kill," said Galawain.

Skaen's beady black eyes glinted. "He would see his mistress grow fat on the essence of thousands. For her he has harvested the unborn souls of the Dyrwood."

"But _why_?" said Kana, looking round the circle of the gods. "Why would Thaos ally with her? What does he stand to gain?"

"Woedica stands for an old order. So does Thaos," said Magran.

"They both fear change, and the Dyrwood has changed much recently," said Abydon, his words undercut by the groaning and grinding of metal. "People find answers not in the gods, but in animancy. The product of their own labors."

"And why not, when they have learned that even a god can be killed," said Magran. "This is the destiny of kith. To struggle and transform, even through animancy."

"But Thaos hates and fears animancy," whispered the waves. "He would see those secrets lost, the knowledge forgotten."

Hylea's voice came for the first time, gentle and soft. "Woedica fears it as well. She believes that mortals may use it to usurp the gods' power. Her power. She prizes authority over mercy. Laws over kith. She values the souls of mortals not for the beauty they create, but for what they can add to her strength."

"Track Thaos," said Galawain. "Follow the trail he has left for you and corner him in Sun in Shadow."

The song of the birds swelled. "But not only to stop Thaos. To undo the tragedy he has wrought."

"One moment," said Aloth, a note of anger in his voice. "Are you saying you _knew_ what Thaos and Woedica have been doing, and yet you did _nothing_?"

"There is a pact," said Magran. "One Woedica herself has just barely kept. We gods must allow mortals to direct their own affairs."

"The gods guide souls through the cycle of death and rebirth, but Eora is the domain of mortals," said the Knight. "We stand aside, weights and counterweights. Were one to alter the tides of kith, all would follow. We would tip this world from its axis. That is why Woedica directs a mortal to do her bidding and why any who would stop Thaos must be mortal, as well."

"Hold up," said Edér. "What about Waidwen? Eothas?"

The gods were silent. They almost seemed to glance at each other uncertainly. Edér narrowed his eyes.

"Did he break this pact of yours? Cause he knew what was coming? Cause he decided to stop Woedica?"

"He made his choice," said Magran. "Now you must make yours."

"Choice?" said Pallegina. "What choice?"

The Knight turned the full weight of her black-eyed gaze upon them. "Thaos has removed thousands of souls from the cycle, and to the cycle you must return them."

"No," rumbled the voice from the aurochs. "They are ice melting in the sun. You must let them fade."

"Let them forget this world and be forgotten by it," whispered the sea.

Galawain licked his lips. "Souls were ripped from the world. Ripe and full and pulsing with essence. Better to scatter them like bones to a pack of dogs. Their essence will feed the souls of the Dyrwood. Let the remains of the dead feed the survivors."

"No!" said Skaen. "Take the souls she so desires and grind them into dust. Let her see her careful schemes thoroughly ruined."

The song of the birds rose again. "Woedica sings her tune to Thaos. I would likewise sing mine to you. You must guide the trapped souls back to the bodies they were stolen from. Hollowborn children whose eyes have never seen the sun. You could restore them. Give their families hymns of joy after years of lament."

"This feels like listening to a debate of the Ducs bels," Pallegina muttered.

"If you're leaving it up to _us_ , I'd choose to side with you, O Queen of Birds, and send the souls back to the children they were meant for," said Huani. She looked around at her companions. "Is that all right?" Most of them nodded assent. Pallegina only shrugged. "Good. But to do that, if it's even possible, we still need a way to follow Thaos."

The flocks turned and wheeled in the starry sky, singing joyously. The face behind their feathers smiled. "Without assistance, no mortal can survive the descent into the pit on Burial Isle, but I will see that you are borne safely on the wings of my children. And when you face Thaos and the rotting fruits of his endeavors, remember the conversation we have had. In that moment, you will have power rivaling a god's. And after it, you will live in the world that you have chosen."

The gods and the stars slowly began to fade. The Pallid Knight nodded to them. "Hurry, mortals. What Thaos seeks to do cannot be undone, even by the turning of the Wheel."  
  
"If you fail, Woedica will not keep the pact," said Abydon, his eyes glowing like coals in their sockets. "She will interfere with mortals the very way we have always avoided. Your development will no longer be in your hands."  
  
"Wait! I'm not finished here yet." Pallegina stepped toward the shifting curtain that was Hylea. She and the goddess began a long conversation in Vailian, Pallegina angry, almost bitter, Hylea airy and calm. After a few minutes the paladin cut off abruptly and turned away. "I may as well be arguing with the clouds," she said. "Is there nothing else you wish to ask _her_?" She raised an eyebrow at Huani and gestured toward Ondra.

"Like what? Why was I born this way? Why am I a dead branch on my family tree?" She shrugged. "There are no more answers in the sea than in the sky. Let's go."

They bowed and started back down the stairs. "Gotta say this much for Eothas," said Edér, looking back over his shoulder. "He put his own neck on the line to stop Woedica. Can't say the same of the rest."

"They are cowards," said Pallegina. "But they are the gods. What can we do?"

They reached the bottom and told the sisters what had passed. Sîdha and Rîhenwn gave them all crowns of elm leaves, taken from both trees, as a sign they had been granted passage and pointed the way toward Burial Isle. It was some time before they found a boatman willing to take them there.

The island was a place full of funeral biers and ancient, crumbling stone, but its gloom was offset by the flowering trees and green grass lining the faded paths. They climbed several broad sets of stairs in order to reach the top of the hill which overlooked the island. There, unexpectedly, they saw a familiar sight: a wide stone platform with a black pit at its center, though this one was centuries - or millennia - older than the one they'd seen in their vision at the animancy hearing. A statue of Woedica loomed over it, stern and unforgiving. They hesitated on the brink, working up courage for the next step.

"Throw her in!" said a commanding voice. "Let her tell her lies to the void!" They turned to see the coldness in Huani's eyes again. "What are you waiting for? Must I do it myself?" She walked forward, coming dangerously near the edge, and hurried hands drew her back. "What's this? Traitors! You will join her!"

The woman attacked, but Pallegina and Edér quickly overpowered her, pinning her to the ground. She struggled weakly for a while. When her face finally relaxed, they let go, cautiously. She mumbled something, turned on her side and curled up into a ball. It took some time to coax her out of it, but when she finally uncurled she just sat there, staring at the pit, eyes wide and vacant.

"Could pour some cold water on her," Edér said.

"I could slap her. Gently, of course," said Pallegina.

"Itumaak, breathe in her face." A disgruntled whine. "Oh, come on, your breath could wake the dead and you know it."

"Is there no solution which doesn't involve torture? There must be something, a song, a story... "

Aloth leaned over and kissed her soundly. They all stared at him, including a breathless and suddenly wide awake Huani. "I read it in a book once," Aloth said, getting to his feet with perfect equanimity. He offered a hand to the Watcher. "Shall we?"


	17. The Work of Gods

Looking down, the darkness of the pit was broken only by an occasional ghostly, flickering glow. Wind rose out of the depths and buffeted them, not cold, but sighing and brushing past the edges of their souls.

They stepped over the edge.

After a breathless moment, the sound of beating wings surrounded them. They fell slowly, gently, the sky above receding until it was only a speck of light. As their eyes adjusted, they could see a floor of stone coming up to meet them. It was littered with the white bones of kith.

Hylea's unseen servants set them softly on their feet. It was dark, but dim light came through an arched doorway in one wall of the little room formed by the bottom of the shaft. They walked over and peered out. Before them was a cavern so large that they couldn't see the roof, walls or floor. It was pierced with countless veins of gleaming adra, which rose from the murky depths and cast their pale light over the roofs of a dead city. The air was stale. A stone walkway, narrow and eroded, started at their feet and wound off into the ruins.

Carefully avoiding the sheer drops on all sides, they followed the walkway as it passed over a stone bridge and then meandered through an airy wilderness of crumbling reliefs and copper-wound adra structures. On either hand they began to see more bridges; these led to wide, round platforms, the roofs of towers which had their bases below, each pierced through its center by a shimmering adra pillar.

As they passed yet another platform and its central column, Huani stopped. "Wait. There's someone here. Not Thaos - a spirit. It's coming our way."

Sagani and Kana took her hands without waiting for an invitation. Edér, Aloth and Pallegina, equally curious, placed hands lightly on Huani's back or shoulders. Soon they all saw what she saw - a bright mist, kith-shaped, vaguely elven, moving towards them. It stopped and seemed to regard Huani curiously.

"Safira," it said. "You've returned, wearing a new face." The words were clear, the voice low, soft and feminine, but it seemed to come echoing to them from far away.

Huani raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that her name? She forgot to introduce herself. I don't suppose you could convince her to give my face back. I wasn't done with it."

"She never listened to me. I was just her little sister. She listened to Thaos. Only Thaos."

"I'm sure that went well," muttered Pallegina.

"I see you know him. Yes, it went as well as you might expect." Her misty head turned toward the Watcher again. "I can see his influence, still hanging like a weight about your neck. So it always was. "

"What's your name?" said Huani.

"Iovara. Iovara ix Ensios, of Creitum. I worked with the Engwithans as a missionary; we both did, my sister and I. Telling others about their gods. Rymrgand, Berath, Ondra... "

"She's very quiet all of a sudden. Was she not expecting a family reunion?"

"She must have been. She put me here, after all."

" _What?_ " said Edér. "Why?"

"Because I found out the truth about the gods of Engwith."

"What truth?" said Pallegina.

"That they aren't real."

The group stared at her in blank astonishment. "What?" said Sagani. "But we were just talking to them!"

"Those were not gods. They're something else entirely. Something created by Thaos and his people."

Kana's knees went weak; he had to sit down on the floor. "What - but - _how_?" he said.

"They used the machines in this very place, powered by thousands of souls. Tens of thousands, perhaps. _Their_ souls."

"Why?" said Aloth.

"I don't know. They would never admit the truth, though many of their converts heard my story, doubted them, and followed me. In the end, we were all slain by Thaos and his inquisitors."

"And how did you discover this so-called truth?" said Pallegina.

"The Engwithan missionaries all knew it. They meant it to be a secret that died with them, and in the end they allowed their bloodlines to fade from memory. But though they were sworn to secrecy, they were not sworn to silence. I had been assigned to join a few of them at a temple. I found the door to their chambers closed, but the room was stone and the door thin. Their voices carried. I heard... enough." The spirit looked at Huani. "What is it that has brought you here? Thaos?"

"Yes."

"I thought so. The energy of this place changes when he is near. I don't know what he has done, but I do know of the souls that pass through here now. They do not come by choice."

"He diverted them from the cycle. He seeks to empower Woedica, and to blame animancy for the damage he's caused."

Iovara shook her head. "After all this time, he would still stand against the tide."

"Is there anything I can do for you? I see... bonds, of some kind, between you and that pillar. I could break them. Let you return to the Wheel."

"Perhaps. But I still would not be free. I've been alone here with my thoughts for so long now, I've found peace with my failures and with my punishment; I no longer curse fate for what might have been. But there is one thing that has clawed and scraped at my mind all these years. One thing that will not be put to rest until I know."

"What is it?"

"The Engwithans claimed I had misunderstood. That my knowledge of their language was imperfect. I refused to recant, but I was never... completely sure. If I had passed back into the Wheel, I would be like you, sister - unable to find peace in another life, forever restless. But who knows the truth now, except Thaos? And he will never tell it."

Huani smiled. "Maybe he won't have to. In any case, we're going to find him. If we do, and we survive, we'll be back."

They left the spirit in her ancient prison and continued down the path. It ended in a long set of stairs leading down into darkness.

They reached the bottom and found themselves wandering the streets of the ancient city. Every crumbling avenue was crowded with ashen statues of kith. Buildings made of stone and glass, copper and adra loomed over them, lit by colored crystals in delicate sconces. There was no sound except the soft echoes of their footsteps and, just on the edge of hearing, a low hum.

Eventually they found several wide flights of steps leading up to an elaborate set of doors. These opened on a large room, almost like an amphitheater, built into a dark recess of the cavern. The ceiling was high and domed, the walls lined with worked stone and adra, but there was no floor, only huge, jagged stalagmites reaching up from the bottom of the cave. Suspended above the rocks were highly decorated platforms connected by curved walkways and arranged in a series of concentric semi-circles around a larger platform in the center. This led, via a short bridge, to the base of a gigantic Engwithan machine, busily whirring and spinning about an equally gigantic adra pillar which pulsed with concentrated essence.

Ashen forms stood along all the platforms and walkways. The group maneuvered around them, carefully, in order to reach the central machine. Huani put out a hand to it. "It's true," she said after a long silence. "It's _true_. They made the gods. The machine remembers. After all these years, it still remembers. So many lives... "

"You've returned." They spun around. An old man, masked and robed, had entered the room. Above the mask he wore a strange, winged crown. "I was always too easy on you, Safira ix Ensios."

Huani's eyes grew cold. "Easy? You threatened me with torture and death."

"The consequences of heresy. As you well know."

She stepped forward. "I am no longer afraid. Kill me, send me back to the Wheel. In time I will find you again and you will pay for what you took."

"Took? I _gave_ you _everything_. Your family disowned you. I helped you find a new one. I gave you reassurance that you were not alone. I gave you certainty. Purpose."

"You _lied_!"

"I miscalculated. I relied on your loyalty, your discretion. Your spotless record of service. I shouldn't have spared you." He turned his piercing gaze on the others. "And who are these? They've followed you to their deaths. Is it loyalty that brings them here?"

"Yes, loyalty," said Pallegina. "Loyalty to my country and my people."

"And to a friend," said Sagani.

"And to the truth." Kana glared at him. "I'll bring these secrets home and set them before a thousand eyes and ears."

"And I will see that all in the Leaden Key know what they are truly part of, and why," said Aloth.

"Anyway, death's not so terrible," said Edér. "Good enough for a god, good enough for me."

Thaos shook his head. "I see. You're here because you are lost. We're all controlled by our own doubts. Better that we should be relieved of them." His eyes blazed. "May you fare better in your next lives."

The room grew dark and a crushing weight of despair settled on their souls. Pallegina saw the Republics floundering, sinking, the people calling for her as she wandered in exile in foreign lands; Kana's colleagues mocked him for chasing myths while his loved ones turned away in disappointment and disgust; Sagani was back in her village, but her family had moved on, forgotten her, and her story of triumph fell on deaf ears; the ghost of Edér's brother rose from his unmarked grave to fix him with a look of scorn and demand to know why he'd lagged behind, why they hadn't fought side by side in the name of their god; Aloth shrank before the towering figure of his father, who cursed him for being a failure, a coward, a disgrace.

But Thaos bent most of his attention on Safira. He held out his gloved hands and gestured as if he was wrenching her apart. Something blew through the room, like the tug from the winds of a bîaŵac, and she cried out in pain and dropped to her knees. But one hand moved, jerkily, toward the whip at her belt. With a last effort she unhooked it and sent it snaking toward Thaos. It caught his leg. She pulled; he stumbled sideways; the cloud of despair lifted slightly and her companions found the strength to act.

Thaos was wizard and Watcher, cipher and soldier, with sixty generations of experience in fighting the wars of the gods. But he was alone. His opponents were many and skilled. And he knew that if he fled they would seize his machine, destroy the work of decades and escape with the secret he'd sworn to keep.

He couldn't fight them all. The warriors harried him with their bright blades. When he broke away, the hunter pursued him with swift and savage arrows. The mage turned his spells back in his teeth and the cipher opposed him in an invisible clash of wills, his dark, burning eyes against her pale, moonlit ones. At last he pushed them back with a great wave of force and dropped to one knee, as if to catch his breath.

"Get away!" Huani shouted. "Get away _now_!"

They scrambled back. Thaos slumped to the ground and there was a tense pause.

"Aloth! Look out!"

The wizard's eyes went blank, but only for a moment. They flashed to life again with a look of grim determination. " _No_. I am no longer your tool, grandmaster, nor anyone's."

Silence fell on the room. Huani walked forward slowly, her eyes on some invisible thing midway between Aloth and the limp form of Thaos. "What is it?" said Pallegina. "Where is he?"

"There." Huani pointed to the empty place. "He used up all his strength trying to take Aloth. He can't get back. He's... Lost."

The paladin frowned. "What are we going to do? If we let him return to the cycle, Woedica will only Awaken him once more."

"I know. Unless... well, there's this very interesting trick he just taught me."

"What? What do you mean?"

"He tried to kill - no, that's not quite the right word. He tried to _erase_ Safira. To pull out all her memories and destroy them, so she'd never come after him again. And maybe he succeeded, because... she's gone." Huani smiled a little. "And I think I should return the favor. All his barriers are down. If I just... " She put out a hand and raked her fingers through the air, then pulled them into a fist. The breath of a  bîaŵac stirred in the room. "There. A new soul for the Wheel."

"You were kinder to that man than I would have been," said Aloth.

They returned to the massive machine. Huani and Kana examined it for a while before manipulating the mechanisms. Its low hum rose in volume. The essence pulsed more quickly. Gears turned and the patterns of light changed. They slowed, stopped and then changed direction. The adra pillar slowly began to grow dim.

"That did it. I hope," Huani said. "The souls are going back to their vessels - the ones which still have vessels, that is. I suppose the rest will just return to the Wheel."

Pallegina threw her head back and laughed. "So! The Legacy is over, Thaos is dead and there are no gods. What a relief. If they are mere creations of an ancient people, we owe them no duty, no honor. They have no claim on us." She turned to Edér. "Aren't you relieved? You didn't kill your god. He never was a god."

Edér scratched his head. "I... don't know. Does put a new perspective on things, but... "

"What? You _still_ feel guilty?"

"Not exactly. It's just... you're right, he wasn't any god. He was more like one of us. Someone who made mistakes, maybe, like we do. Someone who might need forgiveness. Kindness. Same as he always offered us." He chuckled. "Things sort of make more sense now. Anyway, it was never so much about him as what he stood for. That hasn't changed. Maybe others feel the same way." He glanced over at Huani.

"I have a feeling you're right," she said.

"Thought so. Doesn't help me know what to do next. Not really looking forward to going back to Gilded Vale."

"You'll figure something out," she said. "And until you do, Caed Nua could really use a good captain of the guard."

Kana was still staring at the machine. "The lore college will never believe this. Not in a thousand years."

Sagani grinned. "I'm sure Massuk will talk about my Tarneq-Ilitsaak for years to come. But by the time I've had my fill of blubber and fermented milk, I'll tire of telling the story. I just want to see Kallu, Yakona, Najuo and Malaak again. We're finished here, right? All your questions are answered?"

"Yes. No. There's just - " Huani frowned and looked at Aloth.

"Yes?"

"You _kissed_ me."

"Yes."

"Did it... mean anything?"

He considered this carefully before leaning in to kiss her again. "Yes. And I look forward to discussing it further, but, please, can we leave this place first?"

And so Iovara finally learned the truth. She laughed. Huani gently cut the bonds which held her and she soared up, still laughing, to rejoin the dance of life and death.

Hylea bore them out of darkness on invisible wings and they stepped into the light of a new day.


	18. "Visit the Deadfire," they said.

Five years later, Mossuk was in an uproar. Hunters, crafters, elders and children crowded around the little group of visitors, talking excitedly and pestering them with questions. Sagani pushed her way into the center of the crowd, her face full of delight.

"Pallegina! Edér! Aloth! Huani!" she said, hugging them each in turn. "I can't believe it!"

"I'm glad we caught you," said Huani, grinning. "We were afraid you might be out on one of your long hunts."

"Oh, no, not anymore. Come with me!" Sagani dragged them off to her home, a snug longhouse built from stone, sod, animal hides and whale bones. There she introduced them to the family they'd heard so much about, including one new addition.

"You're a _grandmother_?" said Huani.

"Yes! Isn't it wonderful?" She sat down and perched the baby on her knees while his mother hovered nearby, proud but shy. "I wrote you all about it a few months ago. Speaking of which, have you heard from Kana lately? I think his letters get lost."

"He's still dazzling the lore college with his translations from Engwithan, as far as we know."  
  
"Good! That's - what are you doing here, anyway? You didn't come just to visit me."

"We came _here_ to visit you, but that's not why we're in the Deadfire."

"I thought so. What happened?"

"Remember that big statue in the hill behind Caed Nua?"

"Of course."

"It got up and walked off."

" ... It did _what_?"

 

**_THE END_ **


End file.
